By Axel Eriksson, Genna Tesdall, Shaik Imran, Edoardo Corriere and Trisha Mandal, YPARD
As all eyes turn to Brazil ahead of November’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), it’s easy to forget that there was another crucial round of UN climate talks just this June.
The SB62 climate meetings, held in Bonn, Germany, saw two themes clearly emerge: sluggish multilateral progress, yet growing youth influence in shaping climate and agriculture policy.
Youth engagement was more pronounced than ever at SB62, with strong representation across youth constituencies and policy papers and active engagement at several key side events.
Young people emphasized that they are not passive recipients but essential partners in nationally determined contributions (NDCs), national adaptation plans (NAPs) and climate finance.
Their interventions amplified calls for youth-accessible funding methods like microgrants and blended finance and for youth involvement in co-designing and monitoring climate strategies.
Here’s a quick round-up of what we at YOUNGO, the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) and YPARD saw and did at SB62.
The 2025 Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB62) was meant to accelerate progress ahead of COP30. However, while some technical groundwork was laid, much of the momentum stalled. Here’s a breakdown of the main outcomes and their implications.
SB62 got off to a difficult start, with formal proceedings delayed by nearly two days due to disagreements over the session agenda.
As Carbon Brief reports, Saudi Arabia blocked the inclusion of mitigation talks, while India pushed to limit discussions on agriculture and food systems. It took more than 36 hours to resolve these disputes, reflecting deeper divides between Global North and South priorities.
This friction extended to debates over reforming UNFCCC processes, with many low- and middle-income countries calling for more inclusive, accessible and responsive negotiation structures.
While these demands were acknowledged, no binding decisions emerged, with the parties instead deferring any substantive talks until COP30.
There was limited progress towards a global goal on adaptation (GGA) – a key priority for many Global South countries. Negotiators failed to agree on indicators or tracking frameworks, stalling momentum to operationalize the GGA by COP30.
While technical discussions were held, they yielded only a weak “note” summarizing various options, with no consensus on how to measure adaptation progress globally.
Youth groups and civil society expressed concern that without clear adaptation targets, national plans, including NDCs, risk being underfunded or tokenistic.
Just like at COP29, finance was once again a point of tension.
Global South countries reiterated their demand of USD 1.3 trillion per year in climate finance by 2035, with a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) expected to be finalized at COP30. Yet the Bonn talks failed to secure any clarity on how these funds would be raised or allocated.
While lower-income countries pushed for scaled-up public finance and grant-based mechanisms, the Global North again stopped short of making binding commitments.
This gulf threatens adaptation and mitigation efforts alike. It especially hampers the participation of marginalized groups such as youth, who often lack access to mainstream financing.
One of the few bright spots at SB62 was meaningful progress on the Just Transition Work Programme.
The final text, achieved after strong civil society advocacy, includes recognition of human rights, Indigenous knowledge and the need for participatory processes. Importantly, youth were named among the key stakeholders who should be included in national just transition strategies.
This outcome offers a clear entry point for youth constituencies to demand more formal roles in national-level climate decision making.
Although mitigation was discussed in informal formats, SB62 failed to produce any substantive consensus on how to align global efforts with the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The negotiations sidelined any discussions about fossil fuel phaseout, food system emissions and methane pricing, which were relegated to technical annexes or ‘informal notes.’
Carbon Brief describes progress on the Global Stocktake as “incremental,” with very little movement on linking reviews of past emissions to future NDCs.
While food systems were discussed at side events (including YPARD’s own), they remained absent from the official agenda.
Advocates pushed – albeit unsuccessfully – for food system transformation, agroecology and the mitigation of agricultural emissions to be formally addressed.
Amid mounting scientific and public pressure, the onus will be on country delegates at COP30 to take decisive action.
Despite the institutional gridlock that marred SB62’s formal proceedings, youth advocacy flourished in both official and informal spaces – offering a powerful reminder that climate ambition requires not only political will but also intergenerational inclusion.
A standout win for youth constituencies came through the Just Transition Work Programme. Thanks to concerted civil society pressure, including from YOUNGO and YPARD, the final text now explicitly acknowledges the roles of youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
According to Carbon Brief, this marked “one of the most inclusive outcomes” of SB62, opening doors for more participatory national climate policies and action plans.
Youth groups also intervened in the debate on climate finance equity. At an official side event hosted by YOUNGO and the TAPP Coalition, we underscored the urgent need for youth-specific climate finance mechanisms.
These could include microgrants and blended finance tailored to youth-led agri-projects, training on how to apply for funding, and dedicated youth funds within national development banks and green climate funds.
This message resonated with growing concerns that conventional finance frameworks are ill-suited for early-career innovators, especially in the Global South.
We also joined an SB workshop on integrating human rights in nature-based solutions (NbS). A key takeaway was the importance of ensuring environmental integrity and justice by involving Indigenous Peoples and local communities in governing projects on their lands.
Finally, while sidelined in the official agenda, food systems – especially agroecology and the issue of agricultural emissions – gained traction through youth advocacy at side events.
YPARD called for a standalone indicator for agroecology in NDC frameworks due to its huge potential for climate mitigation, food sovereignty and youth employment.
We believe that climate goals can only be achieved by overhauling how we grow, distribute and govern food, which in turn requires the involvement of young people.
Despite the limited progress at SB62, the talks nevertheless set critical groundwork for COP30, especially for civil society and youth constituencies to raise their ambitions.
COP30 host country Brazil urged all countries to submit revised and more ambitious NDCs by September, with a particular focus on integrating land use, methane emissions and food systems into climate targets.
This is a strategic moment to ensure that revised NDCs include a key role for young people, including youth-specific climate adaptation targets and just transition frameworks that include youth governance.
YPARD plans to mobilize its networks to monitor and engage with NDC drafting processes in key countries, especially in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
As for climate finance, we are advocating for more than just a number. The NCQG should address access, particularly for youth and grassroots actors, and integrate participatory funding mechanisms. It should also earmark funds for youth-led adaptation and agroecology projects.
COP30 must move beyond reflection and towards enforcement and accountability. We and our youth partners are calling for the transparent monitoring and reporting of youth inclusion in NDC implementation and adaptation outcomes, as well as formal recognition of youth-led solutions in UNFCCC texts.
The road to COP30 is not only a chance to “raise ambition” but to redefine what ambition means – placing just, inclusive and intergenerational climate governance at its heart.
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