COP - Conference of the Parties
What is the COP and how is GCE getting involved?
The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the most prominent international climate change summit, where signatory governments, policymakers, CSOs, NGOs, and stakeholders discuss and negotiate climate targets and commitments. This year COP30 will take place from November 10-21, 2025, in Belém, Pará, Brazil.
The road to Belém has been fraught with missed opportunities. At COP28 in Dubai, governments agreed for the first time to transition away from fossil fuels, but without binding timelines. At COP29 in Baku, Parties did not produce an ambitious NCQG draft, postponing key finance until 2035 and weakening provisions on public finance and rights. This puts pressure on COP30 to restore trust and keep the 1.5°C target achievable.
As in previous years, GCE will represent European youth voices at events before, during and after COP30. Our team is organising in-person and online events in preparation for the conference, and will send a delegation of activists to Belém to ensure European youth takes part in this year’s decisive negotiations. GCE’s COP30 team is split into three workstreams: Events, Partnerships, and Strategy.
GCE’s COP30 Thematic Priorities
At GCE, we believe that the COP30 must deliver pledges towards a transition that is just, credible, transparent, inclusive and ambitious, responding to the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crises, as well as humanitarian concerns.
In response to these interconnected issues, we want COP30 to deliver on three key Strategic Thematic Priorities:
1) Just Phase-out of Fossil Fuels
2) Scale up Climate Finance for Adaptation, Loss and Damage, and Biodiversity
3) Defend Civic Space and Strengthen Inclusive Climate Governance
GCE at previous COP editions
Youth Policy Dialogue on COP31
Ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Generation Climate Europe, the European Youth Forum and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) co-organised this year’s Youth Policy Dialogue on COP31 with EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.
Following an open call for applications, young people from across Europe were selected to take part in the process and engage with EU decision-makers on the EU’s priorities for the COP31 negotiations. In preparation for the dialogue, participants took part in two preparatory sessions. On 9 July 2026, representatives of youth organisations, National Youth Delegates to COP and the EESC Youth Delegate to COP met online to exchange views, align priorities and develop a shared set of demands for the EU’s position at COP31. This work resulted in a Youth Policy Demands statement setting out young people’s priorities and recommendations ahead of COP31. Participants also took part in a capacity-building session organised in collaboration with the World Youth for Climate Justice (WY4CJ), focusing on the ICJ’s climate advisory opinion.
The Youth Policy Demands provided a baseline for the Youth Policy Dialogue in Brussels on 1 October 2026, where participants exchanged with EU decision-makers, including Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, on the EU’s approach to the COP31 negotiations. Read the full Youth Policy Demands below.
Our Engagement at COP
Event Organisation and Participation in Collaboration with other Youth and Climate Organisations
EESC Youth Delegate Programme
Organised with the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Youth Forum.
Publishing the Annual Report
With global warming set to surpass 1.5°C in the coming years, States are failing to deliver on their legal obligations under the Paris Agreement. At COP31, Europe must push for concrete implementation to keep the 1.5°C goal alive, close the climate finance gap, put biodiversity at the heart of adaptation, and build agreement on a just transition away from fossil fuels that is rooted in intergenerational equity.Erica and MathildaCOP31 Coordinators
Meet our team
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