It has just ended the selection process of the young people who will participate at this September’s event "Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition” in Milano. Their proposals and ideas will be discussed the day after with government representatives attending PreCop26.

The results of the meeting will be later brought to the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Glasgow in November, as well as shared in other United Nations meetings concerning sustainable development.

The young participants, who are aged between 15 and 29, have been identified in the respect of the geographical and gender balance. The selection rewarded activism on the issues of climate change and sustainable development. Based on responses to a six-question questionnaire, those who demonstrated strategic thinking, leadership and motivation skills have been selected.

At the heart of the meeting in Milan there will be four major themes and some sub-themes. For each of these the participants are called to formulate proposals.

1. Youth Driving Ambition: to encourage the participation of young people in decision-making processes, with the aim of contributing to the increase of climate ambition and implementing concrete actions to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Sub-themes: local, national and multilateral dimensions.

2. Sustainable recovery: how to combine economic recovery from the pandemic with the implementation of the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Sub-themes: energy transition and green jobs, adaptation and resilience, nature based solutions, financial flows and tourism.

3. Non-state actors' engagement: the role played by non-governmental actors in the fight against climate change and in sectors that impact the daily life of young people. Sub-themes: food, entrepreneurship, sport, fashion, arts.

4. Climate conscious society: building a society that is more aware of climate challenges. Sub-themes: showcasing impacts and solutions, education, public awareness and mobilization, media.

On 30 September a final document will be adopted. This document will be discussed with the representatives of the governments who will meet in the following three days at the PreCop and then in Glasgow in November. Italy's commitment is that the voice of young people may continue to be heard in subsequent international negotiations: the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, ECOSOC and future UNFCCC meetings.