African Youth Adaptation Forums

The Global Center on Adaptation’s (GCA) Youth Leadership and Education program aims to connect and train young people to create climate-resilient economies and to feature African youth leadership across the world. The program’s mission is to identify and address the needs and challenges that young people face in engaging with climate adaptation, as well as showcase youth-led best adaptation practices.  

In 2025 in the lead up to COP30, GCA, in partnership with local youth organizations, will organize “African Youth Adaptation Forums” to build a network of youth engaged with adaptation and spotlight youth-led adaptation solutions.  

The Forums will bring together students, youth-led organizations, universities, government representatives, and adaptation experts to engage in an adaptation exchange. Young people will have the opportunity to share best practices, their needs for building a climate-resilient future, as well as recommendations for governments and decision-makers. Each forum will engage a geographically diverse demographic of youth from within the country. 
Each forum will prepare a Youth Communiqué, highlighting the needs and recommendations of young people, which will be presented at the GCA’s AAAP Partnership Forums. The results from each forum will be showcased and presented at the Youth Adaptation Forum in Brazil and to global leaders at COP30. 

Overall Goal

Grow the Youth Adaptation Network (YAN) in Africa as the largest platform to connect youth organizations and young people.  

Objectives

  • Provide a platform to exchange good practices and showcase youth-led adaptation solutions. 
  • Raise awareness and increase knowledge of adaptation. 
  • Connect young leaders and foster collaboration to build resilient economies across Africa. 

Why the African Youth Adaptation Forums? 

The world is home to the largest population of young people in history, with 1.21 billion young people aged 15-24 living in the world today.  

Africa has the youngest population in the world. Some 70% of people in sub-Saharan Africa are under the age of 30, yet its youth are among the most vulnerable to climate change.  

Young people are effective actors in climate adaptation. When empowered, young people can build climate resilience and adaptive capacity in their communities to enable a sustainable response to the impacts of climate change. 

Methodology  

The Forums will be co-hosted by GCA and a youth organization based in the host country, in an university or partner institution.  The forums will include:

  • Keynote lectures 
  • Panels showcasing youth-led adaptation solution  
  • Thematic working groups 
  • Adaptation exhibition  

Who can participate and how? 

Young people from the country will be invited to apply to attend the Youth Adaptation Forum through registering on the online registration form which will be found on the event pages below. 

Key Dates (provisional)

  • Youth Adaptation Forum Uganda, 3rd and 4th  April 2025 
  • Youth Adaptation Forum Ghana, 13th and 14th May 2025 
  • Youth Adaptation Forum Zambia, 4th and 5th June 2025 
  • SB62 Youth Adaptation Forum, TBC June 2025 
  • Youth Adaptation Forum Ethiopia, 27th and 28th August 2025 
  • Youth Adaptation Forum Kenya, 20th September 2025  
  • Youth Adaptation Forum Morocco, 14th and 15th October 2025 
  • COP30 Youth Adaptation Forum, 13th and 14th November 2025 

About the Global Center on Adaptation 

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization working to accelerate action on adapting to climate change. GCA supports climate adaptation solutions at the international and the local levels, partnering with the public and the private sector.  

Contact Details

For more information, please contact:  
 
Adriana Valenzuela, Youth Leadership and Education Thematic Lead, at youth@gca.org