Uniting universities, governments, UN bodies and young people across the Global North and the Global South.
Six founding partners and advisers from fifteen countries, building a green mindset on every campus.
Six core commitments for carbon neutrality, green curricula, research, youth, data and solidarity.
The official network launch takes place on 11 November 2026 at UNFCCC COP31, Antalya, Türkiye.
Network launch in
11 November 2026 · COP31, Antalya, Türkiye
Climate action woven into every lecture, lab and campus operation.
Young leaders aged 18–35 shaping decisions, projects and policy.
A just, green transition shared by the Global North and South.
The Global Youth Climate Action Network is a global alliance of universities, governments, UN bodies and civil-society organisations, launched at COP31 Antalya, that connects young people and higher-education institutions across the Global North and the Global South.
Founded by the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions together with the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, Bappenas (Indonesia), Global Youth Philanthropy (United States), the Ministry of Industry of Ethiopia and the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Founding partners
A climate-ready generation leading a just, green and sustainable future. We unite universities, governments and youth to advance green education, research and leadership — turning every campus into a driver of climate action.
Uniting universities, governments and youth to advance green education, research and leadership.
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Young leaders aged 18–35 hold a seat on the Governing Board and co-design our initiatives.
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Pairing universities across the Global North and South in exchanges, research and mentoring.
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Our global social and knowledge platform for the climate community.
Visit GreenBook ↗
Green skills, carbon reporting and climate curricula on every member campus.
Learn moreThe Global Youth Climate Action Network brings together universities, governments, UN bodies and young people across the Global North and the Global South to turn climate education into climate action.
GYCAN is launched at UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, by six founding partners: the UNESCO Chair on Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions; the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), Republic of Indonesia; Global Youth Philanthropy (GYP), United States; the Ministry of Industry, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.
Our ambition is clear: member universities and partners in 100 countries by 2030, a green mindset on every campus, and a generation of young leaders equipped to deliver a just, green and sustainable future.
Chair, Founding Governing Board
UNESCO Chair — Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions
Co-Facilitator, GYCAN
Co-Chair, Founding Governing Board
Managing Director, Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT)
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Co-Chair, Founding Governing Board
Chair and Founder, TALGA
Saudi Arabia’s first NPO on Sustainability
“This is our world — one planet, one shared future. We need to care for it, together.”
GYCAN began with a simple conviction: education is climate action. Universities train the engineers, teachers, planners and leaders who will deliver the net-zero transition, yet capacity, research and finance remain deeply unequal between the Global North and the Global South.
By joining universities, governments, UN bodies and young people in one network, GYCAN turns every campus into a driver of climate action — from carbon accounting and green curricula to youth-led projects in the communities most exposed to climate change.
See our commitmentsAll member universities commit to advancing these six pillars — the common framework against which every member university is held accountable.
Global North & South collaboration
Key global climate facts that make youth-led, education-driven climate action urgent.
Why GYCANSources: WMO State of the Global Climate 2024; UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2023–2024; IPCC Sixth Assessment Report; UNFCCC (Paris Agreement; COP29 New Collective Quantified Goal).
GYCAN is initiated by six founding partners spanning higher education, government, civil society and the UN system, and supported by advisers from fifteen countries.
01
Academic anchor and convenor — Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions
Professor Dr. Mohammad Nurunnabi, Academic Visitor, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford; World’s Top 2% Scientists — Stanford University.
Chair of the Founding Governing Board and co-host of the Secretariat
02
Government partner — Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Custodian of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Founding partner and host of the South Asia Regional Hub
03
Government partner — Ministry of National Development Planning
National coordinating body for development planning and the SDGs. Jakarta, Indonesia.
Founding partner and host of the Southeast Asia & Pacific Regional Hub
04
Civil society partner — United States · Canada · China
Unite Youth Power, Innovate Philanthropic Practices. Boston, San Francisco, Toronto and Shanghai; aligned with UN Youth 2030 and the SDGs.
Founding partner — Youth Philanthropy & Social Innovation
05
Government partner — Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Green industrialisation, skills and youth employment. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Founding partner and host of the Africa Regional Hub
06
UN partner — World Health Organization
Climate, health and resilience across the African Region. Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Founding partner and climate & health lead
Government of BangladeshBangladesh Climate Change TrustCOP31 Antalya, Türkiye
TALGA, Saudi Arabia
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Türkiye
Ethiopia
Rep. of the Congo
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
France
Spain
Australia
Italy
Uganda
United States
Switzerland
ChileFounding partner countriesPartner and advisory board countries
BangladeshIndonesiaTürkiyeEthiopiaRep. of the Congo (WHO Africa)Saudi ArabiaEgyptFranceSpainAustraliaItalyUgandaUnited StatesSwitzerlandChileSix founding partners. Fifteen countries represented. One network for 100 countries by 2030.
Bangladesh Hub
Climate vulnerability, adaptation, climate finance, green skills
Indonesia Hub
Disaster resilience, youth, green skills
Türkiye Hub
Just transition, NEET, green skills
Ethiopia & WHO Africa Hub
Green skills, climate & health
Network-wide
Research excellence, finance, green skills
Network-wide
Vulnerability, adaptation, green skills
Join universities from 100 countries by 2030 in establishing the premier platform for global higher education and youth to advance both SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), while bridging the gap between the Global North and the Global South.
GYCAN’s work contributes directly to twelve Goals, with SDG 4 and SDG 13 at its core.
The premier platform for universities and youth worldwide to drive coordinated action on the education–climate nexus.
GYCAN is governed by a nine-tier structure that places the six founding partners at the institutional centre, chaired by the UNESCO Chair with BCCT and H.H. Princess Abeer S. bin Farhan Al Saud as Co-Chairs. The structure is deliberately lean to keep decision-making efficient and accountability clear.
Consensus where possible at the Governing Board. Where a vote is required, a simple majority of members applies, with the Chair holding the casting vote. All public statements issued under the Network’s name require explicit clearance by the Governing Board.
No new staff, no operational budget, no recurrent commitment. The founding partners retain full strategic authority while the UNESCO Chair and BCCT carry the operational load through the launch phase.
Chair: Professor Mohammad Nurunnabi, UNESCO Chair. Co-Chairs: Mr. Kazi Rawnaqul Islam, Managing Director, BCCT; and H.H. Princess Abeer S. bin Farhan Al Saud, Chair and Founder, TALGA. Strategic leadership on behalf of the founding partners; they represent GYCAN at high-level UNFCCC fora and at the COP31 World Leaders’ Summit in Antalya.
Chaired by the UNESCO Chair; co-chaired by BCCT and H.H. Princess Abeer. Composed of the Chair and Co-Chairs, ministerial and senior representatives of each founding partner — Bangladesh (MoEFCC/BCCT), Bappenas, GYP, the Ministry of Industry of Ethiopia and WHO Africa — plus one senior representative from each of the six sub-regions and the Chair of the Founding Global Youth Leadership Committee. Sets the annual work plan; approves budgets, public statements and all policy outputs of the Network.
Senior government, UN, academic and civil-society leaders from the Road to COP31 partner community. Provides technical guidance; peer-reviews the annual Best Practice Report; advises on methodology, certification and standards. Additional members are proposed jointly by the founding partners.
Hosted by the UNESCO Chair and BCCT, with operational support provided in-kind during 2026–2027, regional hubs hosted by Bappenas (Jakarta) and the Ministry of Industry (Addis Ababa), and a climate–health workstream led by WHO Africa. Day-to-day operations: communications, member relations, reporting, events and dashboard maintenance. No new permanent post is required of the partner institutions at launch; arrangements are jointly reviewed at the end of Year 1.
The youth voice in governance. Young leaders (18–35) nominated by each founding partner and sub-region, plus Global Green Youth Leadership Award laureates. Holds a seat on the Governing Board; co-designs youth initiatives, the webinar series and the Global Green Book Platform.
The academic engine. All academic and expert members holding doctoral or professorial rank, chaired by the UNESCO Chair; develops the Green Skills Curriculum Framework, certification standards, the Research & Policy Paper Series and the Global Green Universities Ranking methodology.
Brings Indigenous youth voices, knowledge and land-based climate solutions into the Network; to be constituted in 2027 through nominations from member universities and Indigenous youth organisations in each sub-region.
Advances gender-responsive climate education, research and leadership (SDG 5 × SDG 13); to be constituted in 2027 with women leaders from the founding partners, member universities and the Founding Global Advisory Board.
Harnesses artificial intelligence and data for climate education, carbon reporting, the Global Green Book Platform and the Ranking; promotes responsible, inclusive AI skills for youth; to be constituted in 2027 with technology, data and climate experts.
An annual cycle of learning, capacity building, certification and recognition. Realistic targets to 2030; subsequent years follow the Governing Board’s biennial review.
November 2026 – December 2027
Scale, certify and recognise
One Planet. One Community. One Green Future.
GYCAN will introduce GreenBook — a global social networking and knowledge-sharing platform dedicated to sustainability, green education, climate innovation and youth-led action. Built on the familiar format of social media, GreenBook gives the global climate community a shared digital home.
GreenBook will connect students, young climate leaders, universities, researchers, governments, UN agencies, civil society and green businesses across the Global North and the Global South — enabling members to exchange ideas, build partnerships, showcase innovation and turn climate awareness into measurable action.
Visit GreenBook ↗ green-book.org
Connect with individuals, institutions and climate communities worldwide.
Share updates, photos, videos, stories and climate initiatives.
Build communities, organise campaigns and join global events.
Access courses, webinars, publications and collaborative research.
Discover internships, scholarships, funding and green careers.
Showcase climate solutions, green entrepreneurship and youth-led initiatives.
Track climate contributions, celebrate achievements and earn recognition.
Connect Green. Share Green. Act Green.
11 November 2026
The Launch Communiqué is issued at COP31 Antalya and the call for members opens.
Everything in one document: who we are, our six founding partners, the Six Core Commitments, governance, activities to 2030, GreenBook and how your institution can join.
Young people on campuses and in communities across the Global North and South, turning climate education into everyday action.
Coastal clean-up
Campus tree planting
Peer-led solar lessonCommunity gardenRooftop solar workshopLow-carbon campus
Pollinator gardenComposting & food growingGYCAN is open to universities and to every organisation that can help young people lead climate action. Members join through a simple four-step process; partner organisations are welcomed on a rolling basis.
Apply by email to the Secretariat
Secretariat evaluation
Membership confirmed
Integration and launch
Be among the pioneering institutions shaping the future of climate-responsive education and youth empowerment worldwide.
Network Secretariat
Co-Facilitator, GYCAN · UNESCO Chair on ESD, Green Skills & Climate Actions
Secretariat: UNESCO Chair & BCCT · Hubs: Bappenas (Jakarta), Ministry of Industry (Addis Ababa), WHO Africa
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