Bangladeshi Youth Delegates Firm on Climate Finance and Loss Compensation at Turkey Youth Summit Ahead of COP31

The 21st youth conference (COY21) is being held in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of the international climate summit COP31. Bangladeshi youth delegates are playing an active role in the global climate talks at the conference, which began on Thursday.

Young climate activists from different regions of the world have joined the conference, held at Akdeniz University. The United Nations youth network on climate, YOUNGO, is presenting the positions and demands of young people ahead of the COP31 summit.

By taking part in policy discussions, preparing the global youth statement and joining various sessions, they are raising the demands of countries at risk from climate change.

Ahsan Roni is attending the conference as a representative of the Bangladeshi organisation Mission Green Bangladesh (MGB). He is presenting the real picture of Bangladesh’s climate crisis through policy discussions, experience sharing and various sessions.

Ahsan Roni said one of the most important tasks of the conference is preparing the Global Youth Statement (GYS). The document, built on the demands and recommendations of young people from different countries, will be presented to the COP31 negotiators. It gives importance to climate finance, tackling loss and damage, and human rights.

In this process, Bangladeshi youth delegates Jasmima Sabatina and Mahdi Wakil are playing an active role. They are taking part in various sessions on behalf of YOUNGO and raising the real problems of people in Bangladesh harmed by climate change.

In addition, Farzana Faruk Jhumu, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group, and Arkoi lead Mahbubul Alam Tamim conducted a session on youth accountability and climate adaptation. Ashik Iqbal of Bangladesh is working as a member of the international organising team in running the conference.

At the conference, a session titled ‘Defining Asia-Pacific Youth Red Lines’ was held as a joint initiative of MGB, Arkoi Asia-Pacific 2026 and SICTO Bangladesh, with Mission Green Bangladesh as a collaborator. There, youth delegates from the Asia-Pacific region set out several firm positions in the climate talks, including direct grants instead of loans for loss and damage, a just transition away from fossil fuels, and ensuring youth participation in decision-making at the national level.

The conference also discussed problems such as rising salinity in Bangladesh’s coastal areas and crop losses for farmers from sudden floods. According to the youth delegates, tackling the impact of climate change needs effective action and finance, not just promises.

After the COY21 discussions, the Global Youth Statement will be prepared. The youth delegates hope their demands will carry weight in the COP31 talks. Their message is that in tackling the climate crisis, young people no longer want to be only part of the discussion; they want an effective role in the decision-making process as well.