COP Working Group
Our COP (Conference of Parties) working group goes to lengths to raise the profile of systemic, longstanding climate injustices, at UNFCCC conferences.
These campaigns are often led alongside other grassroots organisations in attendance. In 2025, the team went to COP30 in Belem and continued the Conflict of Interest (COI) Campaign, which advocates for a robust COI framework by the UK Government that removes the fossil fuel lobbyists from high-level climate change negotiations. We believe that their presence waters down the ambitiousness and authenticity of UNFCCC agreements, pushes for capitalistic solutions instead of de-growth or holistic models, and makes the PR messaging of these conferences entirely hypocritical.
We annually attend COP (Conference of Parties) in the autumn, and the Intersessionals in Bonn, Germany, during summer.
Both are opportunities for UKYCC members to experience high-level negotiation spaces, host and participate in workshops and panels with YOUNGO at the Children and Youth Pavilion ( YOUNGO are a youth constituency of the UNFCCC, forming one of the nine civil society constituencies), and network with senior attendees from UK and overseas governments, UN bodies, and NGOs.
We have attended for many years and it is where a large portion of our fundraising goes. Working group members both home and away also support broadcasting the action on social media, monitor the negotiation outcomes and writing thought pieces and analyses on our blog and for other media outlets.
Though attending these events we’ve also had the pleasure to collaborate with Demand Climate Justice (DJC) to collaborate on climate justice campaigns with global allies. DJC is a network of over 200 climate and human rights organisation, and with Climate Action Network on policy positions and campaigns with European allies.
Past events and campaigns.
COP 30 Belem
Continuing to push the Conflict of Interest campaign, to drive the message home, our outputs included submitting written evidence to parliament which focused specifically on the role of businesses and investors as nonstate actors influencing international climate policy at the UNFCCC
COP 29 Baku
We undertook direct actions, networking, and workshops at the conference itself, such as with the British Council.
COP 28 Dubai
UKYCC primarily campaigned for the implementation of a Conflict of Interest (COI) policy that will fundamentally oppose the undue influence polluting industries have on the UNFCCC processes.
We ran a side event at the conference, collaborating with The event included the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Waterkeeper Alliance, Waterkeepers Bahamas, Bargny Coast Waterkeeper, Environmental Defence Canada.
COP 27 Sharm-El-Sheikh
Our open letter for Loss and Damage (L&D) invited signatories UK-wide, and reached internationally too. It called on the UK Government to lead on establishing an L&D finance mechanism at COP27. This sat alongside a localised campaign, which provided a template for youth to write to their MPs, to back the L&D campaign.
UK-wide mobilisations with Global Justice Now: we marched in cities across the UK, in solidarity with those facing climate injustices and those fighting them.
COP 26 Glasgow
Global Voices in Glasgow’ emphasised the need to improve the representation of voices from the Global South. We helped 12 individuals, from across 4 groups formally gain access to the conference.
#CountdownToCOP was our jargon-busting social media storm, carried out in the weeks leading to COP26.
‘Youth Demands’ was a call to action for the UK Government. It focused on Reparations, Representation, and Responsibility. Supporters included 2050 Climate Group, Scottish Youth Climate Strike, and XR Youth. See the details here.
Youth Hub at the University of Glasgow: with GUEST, The Resilience Project and YFoES we made the space for young people to gather, rest, organise, socialise and learn throughout COP26.