COP and the experiences of children and youth: considering the rights of children and youth in global climate governance

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dc.contributor.authorPaz Landeira, Florenciaen
dc.contributor.authorO'Sullivan, Aliciaen
dc.contributor.authorDaly, Aoifeen
dc.contributor.authorReid, Katieen
dc.contributor.funderHORIZON EUROPE European Research Councilen
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-01T11:10:36Z
dc.date.available2025-10-01T11:10:36Z
dc.date.issued2025-09-24en
dc.description.abstractThis article examines how children and youth exercise political agency – and confront its limits – within global climate governance processes linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (<jats:sc>unfccc</jats:sc>). It draws on 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with climate advocates aged 11 to 29 who have attended (or attempted to attend) <jats:sc>unfccc</jats:sc> Conferences of the Parties (<jats:sc>cop </jats:sc>s). Using an intersectional, rights-based framework informed by postpaternalist theory, we analyse the motivations, barriers, enablers and perceived impacts of child and youth participation. Findings show that peer mentoring and organisational support foster transnational advocacy, while adult-centrism, tokenism and material constraints continue to limit meaningful influence – particularly for participants under 18. Despite these challenges, young advocates adopt creative strategies such as informal lobbying, collective protests and digital campaigns. In doing this they assert their human rights and demand stronger climate action, including on fossil fuel phase-out and finance. We reflect on reforms necessary to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of global climate governance through the rights of children and youth.en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationPaz Landeira, F., O'Sullivan, A., Daly, A. and Reid, K. (2025) 'COP and the experiences of children and youth: considering the rights of children and youth in global climate governance', International Journal of Children's Rights, 33(3), pp. 733-767. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-33030005en
dc.identifier.doi10.1163/15718182-33030005en
dc.identifier.endpage767en
dc.identifier.issn0927-5568en
dc.identifier.issn1571-8182en
dc.identifier.issued3en
dc.identifier.journaltitleInternational Journal of Children's Rightsen
dc.identifier.startpage733en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17929
dc.identifier.volume33en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherBrillen
dc.relation.ispartofThe International Journal of Children’s Rightsen
dc.relation.projectinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE::ERC::HORIZON-ERC/101088453/EU/Child-friendly justice for the climate crisis: Post-paternalist judgments, litigation, participation/YOUTHCLIMATEJUSTICEen
dc.rights© 2025, the Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectChildren’s rightsen
dc.subjectYouth climate actionen
dc.subjectPolitical agencyen
dc.subjectParticipationen
dc.subjectUNFCCCen
dc.subjectGlobal climate governanceen
dc.subjectPostpaternalismen
dc.subject~Law - Journal Articles~en
dc.titleCOP and the experiences of children and youth: considering the rights of children and youth in global climate governanceen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
dc.typejournal-articleen
oaire.citation.issue3en
oaire.citation.volume33en
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