5th Annual Youth Climate Summit designated as COP30-affiliated dialogue
BERMUDA / JAMAICA – Bermuda’s 5th Annual Youth Climate Summit (YCS), hosted by the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office in Jamaica today announced a strategic collaboration that will enhance Caribbean representation and expand youth engagement opportunities on climate action at this year’s Summit being held at BUEI from November 17 – 22, 2025.
Scheduled to take place in Hamilton, Bermuda days after the start of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, YCS — one of BUEI’s most impactful signature educational programmes — is now positioned by the UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica as one of its COP30-affiliated dialogues in the region.
This innovative partnership combines YCS’s proven record of empowering young climate advocates with UNDP’s Climate Promise global programme to advance scaled-up climate action whilst promoting the UNDP Multi Country Office’s Ready Set Great initiative, an empowerment and advocacy movement facilitating youth-led solutions to the greatest challenges facing young people. UNDP’s partnership with BUEI connects to UNDP’s youth engagement for climate action on the road to COP30, and to the Ready Set Great Call to Action climate pillar: “Youth contributing to and championing a healthy natural environment.”
The impactful collaboration between BUEI and UNDP paves the way for Caribbean youth ages 13 to 22 years who live outside Bermuda to register as virtual delegates in the Bermuda Youth Climate Summit via UNDP’s readysetgreatja.com website. As virtual delegates, participants will gain access to YCS virtual sessions scheduled for the first three days of the Summit, plus alumni masterclasses scheduled on day four.
Multi-Day partnership programming
The partnership also features integrated programming across multiple days of BUEI’s Youth Climate Summit. On day two, two youth activists from UNDP’s Ready Set Great initiative will present virtually alongside international peers, bringing first-hand Caribbean perspectives on their climate leadership and activities to the dialogue. Day three’s agenda will showcase Dr. Kishan Khoday, UNDP Resident Representative, as one of three featured subject matter experts presenting virtually on climate policy and sustainable development.
On day four, UNDP will host an exclusive “Green Jobs of the Future” masterclass panel for Bermuda’s YCS alumni and Ready Set Great participants, highlighting sustainable career pathways in the growing green economy. The collaboration culminates on day five when UNDP’s Ready Set Great youth-developed Call to Action Declaration will contribute to the creation of Bermuda’s YCS alumni action document.
Expanding regional connections
This partnership significantly broadens YCS’s reach throughout the Caribbean, with UNDP encouraging virtual participation in the Summit from Ready Set Great participants and young people engaged in environmental programmes across their network. The collaboration creates new opportunities to build meaningful connections between like-minded students within the region while maintaining YCS’s authentic, youth-driven approach.
The partnership also reflects the growing recognition of YCS’s impact in the youth climate space whilst providing UNDP with a platform to continue engaging young environmental advocates across the Caribbean and beyond.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr Kishan Khoday said: “The critical nature of the climate emergency facing island nations and communities requires strategic youth engagement and mentorship for a climate-ready future. As the world looks to COP 30 for an ambitious vision, our youth advocates must be proactive and forward-thinking, ensuring their voices are heard in corridors of power.
UNDP, therefore, welcomes this opportunity to work with the powerful Bermuda Youth Climate Summit on amplifying youth advocacy and action on climate change throughout the region. By facilitating the partnership between the Bermuda event and the Ready Set Great platform, we are creating synergies that can only strengthen youth action, youth voices and youth impact in the Caribbean. UNDP feels it is vitally important to provide these opportunities, listen, learn and support, to advance the important cause of climate resilience within vulnerable island communities.”
“BUEI is excited to expand YCS throughout the Caribbean and connect like-minded young people, many of whom face similar climate challenges living in small island nations that are on the front lines of battling climate change,” said Traci Burgess, BUEI CEO. “Partnering with UNDP allows BUEI and YCS to expand our educational impact and make greater contributions to developing change makers who will be better prepared to use their voices in advocating for a healthier future. This significant collaboration provides substantial opportunities for youth from Bermuda and around the region to connect, educate, and inspire each other.”
Youth Climate Summit
Now in its fifth year, BUEI’s Youth Climate Summit has established itself as a leading platform for youth climate advocacy, connecting young environmental leaders and subject matter experts from Bermuda and around the world. The summit maintains strong partnerships with corporate and NGO supporters who have contributed to its success since its inception in 2021.
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