Youth Take the Lead: Pathways for a Sustainable Future Ahead of COP30

Sarajevo, 22 October 2025 – As the world prepares for COP30, youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina are stepping up to shape the conversation on climate action. Today, at the Youth Pre-COP Forum: Pathways for a Sustainable Future, held at the Children’s House Sarajevo, adolescents and youth from across the country gathered with policymakers, scientists, and UN partners to discuss how Bosnia and Herzegovina can advance a greener, safer, and fairer future for all.

The event, organized ahead of COP30, highlighted the urgent need for intergenerational dialogue and evidence-based climate solutions. Findings from the Climate Landscape Analysis for Children (CLAC) show how climate change is already reshaping children’s lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By 2050, all children in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be exposed to heatwaves, posing a serious threat to their health, development, and education. The effects of climate change are already visible – nearly one-fifth of the country’s territory is prone to flooding, as witnessed during the devastating floods of 2014 that displaced numerous families and closed dozens of schools. At the same time, as many as 99% of children breathe unhealthy air every day – the highest rate of exposure in Europe. Many children still live without the basic conditions for a healthy life – 13% lack access to safe water, while nearly half do not have adequate sanitation. Longer fire seasons, deforestation, and the growth of illegal dumpsites further damage ecosystems and deepen the crisis that directly affects the future of children and young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Against this backdrop, the Forum provided a platform for youth to exchange ideas, learn from experts, and propose concrete solutions. The event’s main outcome, the Youth Climate Priorities Map, compiles young people’s visions and policy recommendations and will be shared nationally and internationally in the lead-up to COP30.

“Addressing climate change requires not only reducing emissions but also strengthening the social systems that protect children and families - health, education, and social protection. Investing in these systems is climate adaptation in practice -  it builds resilience from the ground up and protects the most vulnerable.” – Marc Lucet, UNICEF Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina

“Young people are not only the generation of resilience - they are the generation of solutions,” said Renaud Meyer, UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “UNDP remains fully committed to empowering youth, ensuring their voices shape policies, programmes, and the country’s path toward a just, inclusive, and climate-resilient future. This commitment is reflected through numerous initiatives that UNDP implements together with institutions and partners to strengthen youth participation, leadership, and innovation across Bosnia and Herzegovina.” – Renaud Meyer, UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mirza Hujić from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina outlined how climate change affects young people the most, and emphasized the importance of establishing, formalizing or easing dialogue between decision-makers, policy creators and young people:

“Young people need to take on everything that awaits us in the future — or rather, what is already our present. We all need to take climate change seriously and each contribute in our own way, because regardless of what you do in life, or what you will do, we cannot escape the consequences of climate change.”

Speaking on behalf of young people, Adla Kahrić, researcher and advocate for nature conservation, said that youth should not passively observe what is happening, but actively take part in shaping their own future:

“We create the future to the extent that we, as young people, get involved. We are aware that change is difficult and takes time, but we also know that without us, nothing will be complete. Therefore, it is crucial that we build bridges between generations, between politics and science, and that it does not remain just words — but that we create all of this together through action.”

The Forum also fostered partnerships between youth, civil society, government institutions, and international organizations, with the shared goal of ensuring that the voices of young people inform the country’s path toward COP30 and beyond.

By empowering youth to take part in climate policymaking, the event reinforced that achieving a sustainable future for Bosnia and Herzegovina depends on meaningful youth participation, intersectoral collaboration, and a collective commitment to protect the planet for generations to come.

This event was organized as part of SDG Week in Bosnia and Herzegovina, underscoring that investing in quality early childhood education is fundamental to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education, as well as to advancing all other Sustainable Development Goals that contribute to a fairer and more inclusive society.