Children and Youth take spotlight as COP30 kicks off in Brazil

The opening day of the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, focused on the participation of children and young people in climate action, Azernews reports.

During the ministerial meeting of the “Group of Friends on Children and Climate Action,” participants discussed strengthening child-focused climate policies and financing mechanisms.

The meeting was co-organized with UNICEF, which introduced a new data platform called the Global Child Hazard Database. The platform aims to support countries in developing child-responsive national climate policies and next-generation climate plans (NDCs 3.0).

Yalchin Rafiyev, the Chief Negotiator of COP29, also attended the event.

In his remarks, Rafiyev emphasized that COP29’s legacy—built on the inclusion of youth and children—has evolved into a meaningful model for future summits.

He highlighted that the collaboration between the COP29 Presidency’s Youth Climate Champion and UNICEF created an important platform that promotes child participation, advances youth-led solutions, and ensures that children’s voices are heard in global climate decision-making.