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The climate crisis is one of the most urgent challenges of our time, requiring effective multilateral governance at unprecedented scale and speed. Since 2024, global temperatures have exceeded the 1.5°C threshold, intensifying pressure on the UNFCCC framework to deliver transformative solutions.
This ENSURED webinar examines the disconnect between institutional processes and climate outcomes, exploring how decision-making failures identified in UNFCCC negotiations directly impact the Paris Agreement’s ability to deliver on its promises. Youth organisations have been at the heart of the movement to cut fossil fuel emissions and face the climate crisis effectively. The session combines the ENSURED reports’ research with youth activist perspectives on these issues and provides their analysis of where and how to focus reform and advocacy efforts.
Drawing on two recent ENSURED reports — Climate Negotiations Under Scrutiny: Is UNFCCC Decision-Making Up to the Challenge? (Petri & Karlas) and The Paris Agreement Turns 10: Is It (Still) Delivering on Its Promises? (Kustova, Dietz, Van Hoof, & Karlas) — the webinar unpacks why multilateral climate governance is struggling to respond to escalating global risks. Together, the research reports map institutional bottlenecks in UNFCCC decision-making, assess the Paris Agreement’s implementation record, and identify where political constraints limit the room for meaningful reform. By bringing these findings into dialogue with youth-led organisations working on the frontlines of climate advocacy, the session highlights how civil society can navigate these political realities, locate entry points for influence, and push for more ambitious and democratic climate governance.
Over 90 minutes, we'll explore important questions like:
- Why is there disconnect between institutional processes and climate outcomes? What have we learned from the UNFCCC framework and COP30?
- What are the specifics of youth as a civil society constituency and which formats are best for youth engagement?
- What concrete opportunities exist for youth organisations to influence UNFCCC processes at national and international levels?
- How can the EU strengthen global climate governance and youth participation?
...and much more!
Our panelists include:
- Franziska Petri, KU Leuven
- Amandine Orsini, UC Louvain
- Manal Bidar, Water Youth Network and CIVICUS
- Moderator: Samuel King, CIVICUS
About the ENSURED Webinar Series
In Conversation with Civil Society is a year-long webinar series exploring how global governance institutions can become more effective, robust, and democratic. Each session brings together ENSURED researchers, policymakers and civil society leaders to discuss practical reform pathways across seven key policy areas. Through a conversational format, the series connects ENSURED’s research with the experience of civil society actors, identifying political opportunities for institutional change and highlighting where advocacy can have the greatest impact — especially across fragmented governance landscapes and persistent North–South divides.
The webinar series is coordinated and facilitated by CIVICUS.
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