The Regional Youth Parliament on Climate Action (RYPCA) in the Asia-Pacific region aims to empower young leaders by leveraging their energy, creativity, and diversity to directly influence and shape climate policies at national and regional levels. RYPCA focuses on enhancing youth participation in climate policy formulation, particularly in areas like National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), while facilitating peer-to-peer exchanges on effective lobbying strategies. By recognizing the valuable contributions of youth in advancing climate ambitions, RYPCA aims to encourage more governments to establish official mechanisms for youth engagement in climate governance. Additionally, RYPCA creates a collaborative network for young leaders to share ideas and experiences, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and active youth participation in shaping effective climate policies. Ultimately, RYPCA signifies a crucial step towards redefining climate governance by prioritizing youth involvement and ensuring a sustainable and resilient future through inclusive decision-making processes.
Selection Criteria:
- Must be between the ages of 18-35 from the Asia-Pacific Region
- Fluent in English (Professional working proficiency in speaking and writing)
- Currently serving as a member of their country’s parliament, state assembly, or government agency; engaged as climate negotiators; participate in national or subnational youth parliaments, youth councils; part of parliamentary caucuses; or involved in consultative or advisory panels with government entities at any level in their country.
- Robust background in advising, shaping, and directly affecting the development of climate-related legislation and policy documents within their governmental entities.
- Highly encourage participation from members of marginalized groups, such as women, youth from indigenous communities, youth with disabilities, refugee youth, internally displaced youth or youth from migrant communities, youth from rural (non-urban) areas, and any youth belonging to minority communities.
Commitments:
- Selected applicants will be invited to attend a virtual session and an in-person component (location and date to be confirmed). Any incurred costs (flights and accommodation) will be covered by UNDP, and a daily per diem will be provided during the stay.
- Once the event has concluded, members are expected to dedicate 6 hours per week with meetings at one-month intervals. They may elect to meet more often by consensus.
- Members are expected to contribute to:
- Develop and implement a country-specific strategy to enhance meaningful youth engagement in climate decision-making, ensuring alignment with national priorities and international best practices.
- Proactively identify and establish new pathways to implement stronger ambitions into regional, national, and sub-national climate policy frameworks by collaborating with senior parliamentarians, ministers, and regional entities.
- Actively support, participate in, and help expand the impact of climate activities and events, especially those led by partner UN agencies, to elevate youth contributions.
- Compile and disseminate best practices in climate governance from the Asia-Pacific region to enhance YECAP’s efforts in mapping and promoting effective youth engagement strategies in climate governance.
Find out more and apply here.