Local Conference of Youth (LCOY), is a localized version of the global Conference of Youth (COY) both organized by the official Youth Constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) known as YOUNGO. COY is a youth precursor event to the Conference of Parties (COP) which is hosted annually. At COY, youth participants from all over the world gather to develop a global youth statement that is presented to the COP Presidency.

However, due to the inability of many young people to attend COY, LCOY was designed to increase participation in developing the global youth statement. Children and adolescents are among the most vulnerable to climate change, especially those in the Global South, which includes Ghana. As such, LCOY Ghana seeks to gather youth climate groups and relevant stakeholders to collaborate and develop Ghana’s National Youth Statement. This National Youth Statement will then feed into the Global Youth Statement that will be submitted to the COP26 Presidency in Glasgow, ensuring the youth actively participate in decisions that will shape our future.

The maiden edition to brainstorm on the content of this statement in Ghana will take place at the British Council, Accra Ghana on Thursday 23 September 2021 at 8 am. It is expected that at the end of the meeting the National Youth Statement will be drawn with emphasis on Climate Policies & Governance; Adaptation & Resilience; Gender Empowerment; Biodiversity, Nature-Based Solutions; Water Sanitation & Health; Renewable Energy; Climate Finance; Green Jobs, Capacity building to strengthen the youth climate movement in Ghana to jointly advocate, Support the government and private sectors to increase Ghana’s climate ambition and Launch Ghana’s Youth Climate Council (YCC) as a national hub for the youth climate movement.

Organising Committee: 

Host Organisations: Green Africa Youth Organisation & United Youth Initiative Africa. 

Partner Organisations: British High Commission; Canadian High Commission; British Council; GIZ Ghana; UNICEF

Supporting Youth Organisations: Strategic Youth Network for Development Ghana, Entrepreneurs Club Ghana, Ghana Youth Environmental Movement, Eco-Cura, McGharbins Network, Reusable Bags GH  and 350 Ghana Reducing Our Carbon.

About Green Africa Youth Organisation

Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), is a youth-led gender-balanced advocacy group that focuses largely on environmental sustainability and community development.

We are dedicated to developing the human interest to observe basic natural laws and adopt the behavior of living in harmony with nature. We seek a future where there is a balanced relationship between humans and the various natural systems on which they depend in such a way that all the components are accorded a proper degree of sustainability.