A UNU event at the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP30) in Belém, Brazil explored how youth can co-create more sustainable urban futures. It presented three youth initiatives driving transformation in India, Japan, and Malaysia, and engaged participants in a time-travel visioning exercise to reflect on the tools needed to co-create desirable futures. The event was held on 19 November 2025 at the COP30 SDG Pavilion.
Facilitated by Lucas Turmena (Senior Researcher, UNU-EHS), the discussion underlined that youth engagement should go beyond participation — youth must be agents of change in creating a sustainable future. Dulari Parmar (YUVA India) introduced a Community Climate Action Planning Toolkit, highlighting the need for context-specific approaches that leave no one behind.
Two participants of the UNU-IAS Global Youth MIDORI Platform shared their experiences and reflections, highlighting the need to open doors for youth, as well as the importance of persistence and continuous engagement with communities. Vennessa Kuek (student, University of Malaya, Malaysia) introduced a youth-led empowerment programme to address urban flooding in Southeast Asia, and Haruna Sakai (student, University of Osaka, Japan) outlined her work on ethical consumption and education.
The discussion identified key tools for co-creating sustainable urban futures, including trust-building, engaging youth in agenda-setting, and securing sustained funding to enable innovation. The event was organized by UNU-EHS and UNU-IAS.
