CVF Youth Capacity-Building Fellowship

Overview

In order to promote and advance ambitious climate action for the next generation of changemakers, the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) is launching a “Youth Capacity-Building Fellowship” which will recruit youth voices from six CVF countries. The selected youth will receive various training and resources which will empower them and ensure their preparedness against the threatening impacts of climate change. The fellows will undergo targeted training in the run up to COP27 in Sharm-El Sheikh and attend as accredited national delegates. The fellows will represent their countries and the CVF perspective at climate-related events throughout 2022-23. The program aims to empower the voices of the youth and build a delegation that can speak to the impacts of climate breakdown on their generation. The selected fellows will play a crucial role in ensuring that the voices of the youth are heard in the climate negotiations process throughout the world.

Currently there are voices of youth who are prominent in the climate issue, but most belong to activists from the developed countries who are not actually involved in the climate negotiation process. The CVF Youth Fellowship program provides youth affiliated with their country’s delegations at the climate negotiations with an opportunity to have full access within the COP process, as well as the opportunity to be strong and representative voices to raise awareness and advocate for the cause of climate vulnerable countries. This Fellowship will contribute to building a youth constituency among the CVF which will bring forward the voices of young people who can make real change in the world.  The Youth Fellows will amplify voices of the younger generation who will suffer the most if we do not manage to restrain the rate of climate heating. 

This project is aimed at young people aged 18 to 25 in member states of the Climate Vulnerable Forum. They will be supported to represent their country at COP27 and other international meetings as relevant, and given capacity building support to enable them to speak and participate meaningfully and impactfully. 

Scope of the Fellowship

The goal of this Fellowship is to empower the youth in climate vulnerable countries and ensure their preparedness against the threatening impacts of climate change. Accordingly, the Fellowship includes the following opportunities anchored in specific training sessions conducted by the Secretariat throughout the year:

• Comprehensive trainings on relevant climate change policy topics (e.g., mitigation, adaptation, finance, loss and damage, Paris Agreement compliance, UNFCCC historical development, structure and procedures, international climate finance access, national policy-making on climate change, policy mainstreaming); 
• A UNFCCC negotiation simulation workshop;
• A media training tool kit and social media communication to enable them to communicate on their experience and to effectively promote vulnerable countries priorities from the youth perspective; 
• A real-life experience of climate change negotiations through sponsored participation in UNFCCC COP27, and possibilities to join other key international climate change conferences*;
• A Certificate of Recognition upon completion of the Fellowship issued by the CVF Secretariat. 

*Any sponsored travel will be economy class and accommodation/subsistence support.

Learning Objectives

The Fellowship will last for approximately one year, with an inaugural timeframe from September 2022 to June 2023. At the end of the Fellowship, this program and its participants are expected to meet the below objectives:

• Understand the climate change negotiation process, including the Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement;
• ​​Increased engagement of youth in the role as leaders, actively working for wider climate change advocacy; 
• Enable youth from CVF members states to be leaders in adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage, as well as amplifying their voices around the world;
• Facilitate the meaningful inclusion of youth voices in the implementation and design of national climate policies; 
• Gain the knowledge and skills needed to represent their country at COP27 and other international meetings as relevant, and be given capacity building support to enable them to speak and participate meaningfully and impactfully;
• Equip participating CVF youth with the necessary communication skills to use media as a platform to raise awareness on the challenges posed by the changing climate.

Conditions of Participation

The Fellowship is open to young activists in CVF countries between the ages of 18 and 25. Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Citizen and permanent resident of a CVF member country, between the ages of 18-25, the Fellow must be nominated by their government for accreditation to the UNFCCC and will be responsible for securing this accreditation;
• Demonstrated interest in climate change, environmental protection and/or sustainable development;
• Motivated to follow the training sessions organized throughout the year;
• Willing to travel abroad to attend various international negotiations on climate change and on average to dedicate 1-2 days per month to Fellowship activities (aside UNFCCC meetings and in-person trainings)*;
• Committed to working and sharing information with their national government and national stakeholders after the completion of the Fellowship;
• Active engagement on social media; 
• Proficiency in English.

Places will be allocated on the basis of interest, gender, and regional distribution according to the limited fellowships available. 

* Subject to pandemic/other travel restrictions in effect.

2022 Fellowship Activities

The following activities are planned for the year 2022/23: 

• Training on climate change diplomacy, negotiations and media skills  (online – September  2022, TBD)
• Climate change negotiations in preparation for COP27  (online – October 2022, TBD);
• Sponsored participation to the UNFCCC 27th Conference of the Parties (“COP27” Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt – 6 to 18 November 2022);
• Training on selected climate change topics (online –  May 2023)
• Any other activity organized by the Forum.

*Applications are closed*