YES-Europe has been represented in-person by one of our COP30 Project Leads Caterina Bittendorf at COP30 in Belem, Brazil this month, who has had the pleasure of attending, observing, organising, producing content and speaking at numerous press conferences, side events and discussions as part of our advocacy campaigns for Green Jobs and Gender Action

Caterina’s presence at COP30 has recently been highlighted in a speech that she was fortunate to give at a UN SG Youth Roundtable with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and other fellow youth delegates on Tuesday, 18th November

Check out her full speech here:

Your Excellency, Mr. Secretary-General,

Thank you for meeting with us today. I’m Caterina Bittendorf, Germany’s Youth Delegate to the UNFCCC. 

When I started to engage in the climate space over 15 years ago, I wanted to save the polar bears. Soon to realize I also need to save myself, especially in the Nordics where global warming is 4 times more extreme than global average. We are living through the consequences of climate inaction already today, and those yet to be born who will inherit the decisions made in this very moment. Failing COP30 means failing us. 

We are here because the climate crisis is not just an environmental issue – it is a crisis of justice, equity, and human rights. And it is children and youth, especially girls and marginalized communities, who bear the brunt of its impacts. 

Climate crisis deepens existing gender inequalities. Girls are more likely to be pulled from school during climate disasters, more vulnerable to gender-based violence and exploitation, and less likely to be heard in decision-making spaces. This needs to be addressed in an ambitious and implementable Gender Action Plan under the UNFCCC and mainstreamed through UNFCCC tracks and the UN system. We cannot talk about climate justice without talking about gender justice and sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

We also cannot talk about climate action without centering child rights. Every child has the right to clean air, safe water, nutritious food, education, and a future free from fear. These rights are enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but they are being violated every day by rising temperatures, extreme weather, and environmental degradation. Children must be the primary consideration!

Talking is not enough. We need ambitious climate policies and sufficient means of implementation. Currently, only 2% of climate finance goes to children & youth. And only 2.3% of climate finance is gender-responsive. That’s not only insufficient but simply unjust. 

We urge you to champion the rights of children, youth and future generations. Intergenerational equity and gender justice must be more than a slogan – it must be a guiding principle for every climate policy, every investment, every negotiation. Create a true multirao! The multirao decision must deliver and clearly adopt 1.5 as the legal red line. 

But to do this, we need a UN and a UNFCCC that are equipped to meet the scale and urgency of this crisis. That means:

– Embedding child rights, intergenerational equity and gender equality into climate frameworks  

– Enhance youth engagement in national delegations – not just token seats, but real influence  

– Strengthening coordination across UN agencies to address climate impacts holistically  

– Reform the UN and UNFCCC

– And ensuring that climate finance reaches those most affected, especially women, girls, children, and youth in the Global South

Mr. Secretary-General, we are not asking for charity. We are demanding accountability. We are demanding ambition. We are demanding a livable future.

Thank you.