During the Rome MED Dialogues 2024, the annual Mediterranean-focused conference hosted by the Think Tank Institute for International Political Studies and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2nd edition of the Youth Policy Lab – “Navigating the Climate Crisis: Mediterranean Youth in Action” – brought together young climate innovators from across the region. The initiative, held in collaboration with CMCC Foundation, BCG, OECD, UNDP, UNIMED, and Youth4Climate, highlighted the pivotal role of youth in addressing the climate crisis. By amplifying young voices, the Youth Policy Lab underscores the importance of ensuring no youth is left behind in the fight against climate change.
The Mediterranean, warming 20% faster than the global average, faces increasingly severe climate-related disasters, including recent events in Derna and Valencia. Recognizing the urgency, the Youth Policy Lab created a participatory platform for young leaders from Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, and Tunisia to develop innovative solutions and policy recommendations.
The 2024 edition focused on Mediterranean cooperation in youth participation in climate decision-making, addressing inequality, and promoting technology-driven solutions. Elisa Fiorini Beckhauser and Gabriele Canzi from CMCC and FERS Staff, chaired Working Group 1 on Youth Participation in Climate Decision-Making Processes facilitating the identification and formulation of policy recommendations and innovative ideas by a young and committed group of participants. By stepping forward, the YPL2024 WG1 participants created a space for genuine interaction, where shared ideas and perspectives emerged. The proposals generated are a clear proof to this dynamic, showing the creativity and the willingness to actively engage and contribute. The two selected ideas-recommendations were Catalysing Change: Establishing the Mediterranean Youth Climate Assembly and From “Tokenism” to Expertise: Redefining Youth Roles in Climate Decision-making. The first idea aimed to address the lack of formal representation for youth to influence climate-related policy-making through the Mediterranean Youth Climate Assembly (MYCA) as a permanent body under the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The second proposal, in turn, suggests reviewing the selection process and criteria for accessing climate decision-making bodies in order to ensure that youth are recognised as key stakeholders with the expertise and agency to influence climate policies. The proposals were then presented on November 26, 2024 to a panel of experts, including the Italian Special Envoy on Climate, Francesco Corvaro, ensuring that youth-led ideas influence regional climate strategies.
The final version of the document was released by ISPI on the occasion of the launch of the upcoming MED Dialogues 2025 in Naples. The document is available at the following link: https://www.ispionline.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/MED2024_YOUTH-POLICY-LAB_policy-recommendations_FINAL.pdf