KYCAC at the Global Youth Environment Assembly 2025: Strengthening Kenya’s Youth Voice in Global Climate Governance

Posted by OAY Kenya on 09-Dec-2025

This year’s Global Youth Environment Assembly (YEA) 2025 brought together young climate leaders from across the world to the UN Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi.

Among them was a delegation whose presence was not only strategic, but symbolic of a shifting generation: the Kenya Youth Climate Advisory Council (KYCAC).

Across the halls, in plenary rooms, and during negotiations feeding into UNEA-7, the Council stood out — not as observers, but as young experts ready to shape global environmental governance with clarity, evidence, and courage.

Standing Firm: KYCAC’s Leadership at YEA 2025

Throughout the Assembly, KYCAC consistently pushed for the kind of youth participation that goes beyond being invited to speak.
Their message was clear: young people are not future leaders — they are leaders now.

In its submission to the draft UNEA-7 resolution on “Enhancing the Meaningful Participation of Children and Youth,” the Council argued for structural changes that would permanently secure youth power within governance systems.

KYCAC emphasized that:

• Youth participation must be enshrined in law — not left to goodwill.

• Youth advisory bodies require clear legal mandates within environmental decision-making processes.

• Climate funds should reserve a fixed percentage for youth engagement and leadership, ensuring continuity and accountability.

• Youth- and community-generated data must be recognized as credible evidence in environmental monitoring.

These weren’t just recommendations.
They were declarations of what young people need to participate meaningfully — not symbolically — in shaping environmental policy.

Championing a Missing Voice: Disability Inclusion

One of KYCAC’s most powerful interventions emerged during conversations around accessibility.
The Council highlighted the noticeable gaps in disability inclusion throughout the Assembly — gaps that reflect a deeper systemic issue across climate governance spaces.

KYCAC called for the Global Youth Environment Declaration 2025 to intentionally integrate disability considerations by:

• Ensuring accessible participation (sign language, braille, mobility-friendly venues, digital access).

• Collecting and using disability-disaggregated data.

• Offering targeted funding for young people with disabilities leading climate solutions.

• Officially recognizing young persons with disabilities as key actors in climate justice and resilience.

Their message resonated deeply across the Assembly:
Inclusion is not charity — it is governance.

What YEA 2025 Revealed About Youth Leadership

From the discussions, one truth was clear:
Young people are no longer asking for relevance. They are demonstrating it.

Key outcomes from the Assembly included:

• Youth are contributing policy grounded in law, science, and lived experience.

• Environmental governance must evolve beyond consultation to shared decision-making.

• Intersectionality — especially disability inclusion — must shape all climate justice frameworks.

• Global processes become stronger when national youth expert bodies like KYCAC are acknowledged and integrated.

Who KYCAC Is — and Why Their Voice Matters

The Kenya Youth Climate Advisory Council was established under the European Union in Kenya–funded #SikilizaSautiYetu Project, with a clear intention:
to create a permanent, national-level space where young people can influence climate governance through expertise, evidence, and structured engagement.

KYCAC represents:

• Youth experts from diverse backgrounds

• Young climate innovators and advocates

• Youth living with disabilities

• Grassroots and community voices

• Youth-led organisations working on climate justice, governance, and resilience

The Council exists because young people in Kenya needed more than participation — they needed representation, authority, and continuity in spaces where environmental decisions are made.

A Call to Action Ahead of UNEA-7

As the world prepares for UNEA-7, KYCAC is calling on policymakers, partners, and UN agencies to:

• Institutionalize youth roles within environmental governance.

• Embed accessibility and inclusion in every youth-focused process.

• Allocate sustainable, long-term financing for youth-led initiatives.

• Recognize youth-generated data as central to environmental monitoring.

Kenya’s young people are ready — not as representatives at the edges, but as equal partners shaping the future of global environmental governance.

Written by Vallary Ochieng – Organizing Secretary, Kenya Youth Climate Advisory Council; Member, Organization of Africa Youth Kenya