EurOcean is proud to highlight the participation of several Youth Ocean Leadership and Advocacy (YOLA) delegates at COP30 in Belém and the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion, where they helped advance youth perspectives in global ocean–climate discussions. With support from the project lead Nausicáa, YOLA delegates represented the Citizens of the Ocean initiative through on-site interventions, online workshops, contributions to international reports, and youth-led outreach efforts.
In Belém, Pedro Dantas and Elisa Soares played central roles in events bridging innovation, policy, and youth action. Early in the week, Pedro contributed to the launch of the Youth Manifesto for Ocean and Climate, developed in collaboration with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and informed by the Citizen of the Ocean Manifesto. His participation in the YouthCOP panel on youth leadership in climate negotiations highlighted the need to create stronger pathways for young innovators and advocates to engage directly with decision-makers.
Both Pedro and Elisa represented Citizens of the Ocean at a UNFCCC side event in the Blue Zone, focused on strengthening the interplay between climate, nature, and human systems, ensuring youth perspectives were embedded in these critical cross-cutting discussions. Elisa additionally brought her expertise in youth empowerment, ocean literacy, and environmental policy to several sessions on citizen science, ocean governance, and intergenerational collaboration. At the SDG Pavilion, she participated in a dialogue on youth-driven innovation in climate education and the capacities required to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
YOLA’s contribution to COP30 extended beyond Belém through the participation of several youth delegates in the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion, including Aditi Yadav, Ayesha Hanif, Francisca Javiera González Salas, and Elisa Soares. They joined the youth-led workshop “Facing Climate Denial – Joining Forces Across Generations Against Disinformation,” supported by Nausicaá – Centre National de la Mer and the World Ocean Network. The session brought together young leaders to address climate–ocean misinformation and explore how intergenerational cooperation can strengthen trust in science.
The recording remains available through the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion after registration: https://cop30oceanpavilion.vfairs.com/
Several YOLA youth delegates also conducted interviews with ocean–climate experts, COP30 negotiators, and key stakeholders to gain deeper insights into the conference dynamics, civil society activities, and ongoing ocean–climate action. These interviews are available in the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion under the Engagement and Interview tabs. They include:
- Aditi Yadav, delegate of Citizens of the Ocean, in conversation with Professor Mitsutaku Makino, President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan.
- Abiha Ashrar, delegate of Citizens of the Ocean, in conversation with Dr. Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean Commissioner.
- Francisca Javiera González Salas, delegate of Citizens of the Ocean, in conversation with Kristina Gjerde, High Seas Policy Advisor at IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme.
Together, Pedro, Elisa, Aditi, Ayesha, Francisca, and other YOLA delegates demonstrated the value of meaningful youth engagement at the highest levels of climate diplomacy. Whether contributing to policy discussions, supporting global reporting processes, combating disinformation, or fostering intergenerational dialogue, each played an essential role in bringing forward informed and solution-oriented ocean–climate perspectives. Their participation reflects YOLA’s mission to empower young leaders to shape a sustainable and just ocean–climate future.
Beyond their event participation, the delegates also supported the dissemination of the newly released 2024–2025 ROCA Report. The ninth chapter, dedicated to the empowerment of civil society and youth, highlights YOLA’s approach to leadership development and community-based climate action.