Children and young people call for action at COP30

The following recommendations have been developed by children and young people who advise and collaborate with the Child Rights International Network (CRIN). All 16 recommendations rely on and are grounded in international law, drawing from the Advisory Opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice and General Comment 26 from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, among other documents.

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4 November 2025

To all COP30 party delegates, negotiators, civil society observers, and to those who represent the children whose futures depend on your decisions,

COPs have been happening for longer than we have all been alive and yet, after 29 rounds of talks and negotiations, progress remains too slow to end present suffering or prevent future harm. Children are already dying because of the climate crisis. We need concrete action now. 

The following recommendations have been developed by children and young people who advise and collaborate with the Child Rights International Network (CRIN). All 16 recommendations rely on and are grounded in international law, drawing from the Advisory Opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice and General Comment 26 from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, among other documents.

We respect and admire the dedication and effort that many of you have put into these negotiations, often over many years, and sometimes at personal cost to address these urgent injustices. But we need stronger results to protect the lives at stake. That is why we call on you to adopt and implement these key recommendations without delay.

The choices you make in Belém will determine the fate of current and future generations. As COP30 begins, every commitment, delay and loophole has real human consequences for today’s young people and for generations to come.

Just Transition

Global North states have a duty to support Global South states in addressing climate change, as they have contributed the least and will suffer the most from the effects. In accordance with common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, as well as intergenerational equity principles, states must:

1. Exclude any loopholes within the Just Transition Work Programme framework that allow the expansion and production of gas as a ‘transitional’ fuel.
2. Establish a strong framework for just transition finance, in order for Global South states to receive assistance from Global North states. This framework must:
1. Ensure that Global North States allocate an ambitious amount of resources to just transition projects to support Global South states.
2. Ensure that the Loss and Damage Fund is fully financed, accessible to affected communities and guided by principles of equity and justice.
3. Ensure that Global North states provide assistance in a way that is not designed to generate profit or debt.
4. Be governed by an independent implementation body required to conduct regular reviews of projects.
3. Recognise the use of child labour in energy transition projects, taking immediate action to stop all instances of child labour. This includes the use of child labour in mineral extraction and all industries critical to the just transition effort. Companies and sites proven to use child labour in their supply chains must be excluded from compensation. Global North states must also address the root causes of child labour, such as poverty, exploitation and scarcity of resources in the Just Transition Work Programme.
4. Support individuals who undertake unpaid or underpaid care of children, in order to support communities through the climate crisis and protect the financial independence and rights of carers.

Fossil fuel phase-out

A fossil fuel phase-out is necessary for a just transition. States have an obligation to address the root causes of the climate crisis by committing to targets aligned with 1.5°C or below. The International Court of Justice has concluded that the production, consumption, licensing and subsidising of fossil fuels may be deemed in violation of international law. Therefore, states must:

5. Implement the emerging core pillars of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) framework, namely:
1. End the licensing, approval and financing of new fossil fuel exploration and production projects (including the extension of existing fields).
2. Adopt targets that are clear and time-bound on the phase-out of fossil fuels - with trajectories that reflect national circumstances, capacities and responsibilities. Independent and transparent monitoring and reporting must support these targets.
3. Eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies and redirect investments to renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable infrastructure.
4. Incentivise all financial institutions to defund and prevent fossil fuel expansion.
5. Where the shift away from fossil fuels imposes economic or social harm to communities, states must provide robust support through income stabilisation, education, social protection, infrastructure investment and job creation in clean energy sectors.

Protecting human rights in the climate crisis

The climate crisis particularly impacts the enjoyment of the rights of children, women, Indigenous Peoples and all groups in marginalised situations. These community members must be listened to and their rights must be safeguarded. States must:

6. Facilitate People's Assemblies on climate issues and give due weight to recommendations which emerge in climate policy and adaptation plans. States must encourage the representation of groups in marginalised situations and communities at risk of climate-related harm.
7. Ensure asylum and immigration systems are safe, respecting the rights of those migrating for climate-related reasons. This respect includes keeping families together and affording all migrants and refugees fair legal processes.
8. Respect the right of peaceful assembly. Stop the criminalisation of climate activists, with particular attention to children and young people, as protests are often one of the only democratic tools they have to make their voices heard.

Upholding children’s rights in climate action

Under international law, children have the right to be meaningfully included and the right to be heard in issues which impact their futures, including the climate crisis. For their contributions to be adequately reflected at all levels of policy-making, states must:

9. Create accessible ways for children to learn about the climate crisis and incorporate climate education into all aspects of their national curriculum, especially in the case of teaching children how the climate crisis affects the enjoyment of their rights.
10. Facilitate and promote Children’s Assemblies, and give due weight and consideration to their recommendations, incorporating agreed upon recommendations into national transition plans and policies.
11. Ensure that all national climate plans and COP outcomes are made available in child-friendly language.
12. Allocate resources to guarantee children’s access to health services, including physical and mental health support for issues brought on or made worse by the climate crisis.

No climate justice without human justice

Military action and occupation destroy ecosystems and communities. A just transition cannot be built on violence and exploitation. The links between militarism, extractivism, poor resource management, occupation and systematic human rights offences are clear. States must:

13. Uphold and protect the principles of existing international law and treaties such as the Geneva Convention, the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute, including the protection of the environment and most-affected groups. States must guarantee that all climate and environmental cooperation is consistent with international human rights obligations.
14. Guarantee that climate finance and assistance are distributed through effective and equitable funding models, ensuring the necessary resources reach the most affected communities and groups in marginalised situations. Resources must not be used to further war and militarism.
15. Ensure that parties responsible for harming communities and groups pay for damages and provide remedies, both for severe human rights offences - including crimes against humanity and genocide, as well as for the environmental degradation caused by these crimes.
16. Recognise the negative impact conflict has on the phase-out of fossil fuels, designing all climate plans to be as resilient as possible in the eventuality of conflict.

We urge you to adopt and implement these recommendations during COP30, with no further delay. We’re aware of the lengthy and challenging nature of the negotiations you’re taking on, but we ask that you remember that those sleepless nights must have a meaningful impact on the lives of children across the world. You must prioritise the well-being of the children who are severely harmed by the climate crisis, and represent their interests. Children should no longer have to live in fear of floods, fires and droughts.

Justice must be achieved for those who are most grievously impacted but the least responsible for the climate crisis. The Global North must recognise its historic role in the climate crisis and end the widening of inequalities it perpetuates. States must also ensure that people of all ages are represented and reflected in this meeting’s outcomes.

Justice must be achieved across all borders and generations.

We must all act to protect children, young people and futur generations. COP30 cannot end with excuses; it must end with action that will provide a safer future, for all children, everywhere.

We want meaningful action. Now.

Signed,

The Climate Advisers of the Child Rights International Network

Adam, 18, United Kingdom

Benjamin, 18, Belgium

José, 17, Colombia

Juan, 18, Colombia

Niamh, 18, Ireland

Shirley, 15, Kenya