Thank you for being part of our 2025 Housing Program. The end of our COP30 Housing Program marks the end of our Housing Program at large, however we will continue to support youth access to convenings in other ways.
Five Press Features:
From Priced Out to Having a Voice at COP30:
Housing the Next Generation of Climate Leaders
Help 100 youth climate leaders secure safe, affordable housing for COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
The Challenge: A Crisis of Access in Belém
COP30, to be held in the Amazonian city of Belém, will be a historic moment in global climate negotiations and an essential space to include youth voices. Yet securing safe, affordable, and trustworthy housing is one of the biggest barriers facing youth climate leaders, especially those from frontline and underrepresented communities.
Hotel prices are skyrocketing. Infrastructure is limited. Scams are common. Without access to housing, many youth leaders will be excluded from the most important climate convening of the decade. We already anticipate representatives of the fossil fuels industry to attend this year’s COP. While they are busy influencing policy decisions, youth leaders are struggling with the most basic needs such as securing accommodation during COP.
When youth are priced out, the movement loses vital perspectives, leadership, and momentum. Investing in their ability to show up isn’t charity; it’s a strategic and necessary investment to ensure a just, inclusive, and effective climate future. These young leaders are not just participants; they are negotiators, storytellers, and mobilizers who will carry the outcomes of COP30 into the next decades of action.
Yet infrastructure issues and a lack of proper coordination and communication with local homeowners and hotel operators are interfering at a time we should be using to discuss substantive issues and strategize for stronger policy and implementation.
To paint a picture of the severity of the housing crisis:
Brazil has offered 10 to 15 rooms at prices of up to $220/night to delegations of countries considered to be among the least developed in the world, but their daily subsistence allowance from the UN (for meals, transport, and accommodations) is $149.
The official COP30 housing portal shows rates from $360-$4,400/night, and many with minimum stay of 10-15 nights.
Complaints about affordability are coming from both developed and developing countries. Wealthier countries have been told to expect nightly accommodation costs of up to $600 – far higher than at previous COP meetings.
The Panamanian negotiator Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez said in June that he feared the conference “might become the most inaccessible COP in recent memory” and that developing countries, small island states, Indigenous voices and civil society would “not be adequately represented — if represented at all”.
Our Response: Creating the Conditions for Youth to Thrive at COP30
Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC), a global youth-led organization supporting over 6,000 young leaders, is stepping up. To date, we have secured $136,000 worth of accommodations, supporting 120 youth and indigenous leaders across 4 COPs and one NY Climate Week. For COP30, we’ve already secured 73 spots of safe and affordable housing, priced between $50–$200 per night, per person. We have met with local homeowners, signed contracts, and put down deposits with our limited funds to save youth from scams and because we know just how important this work is! Our goal is to raise enough resources to house 100 youth climate leaders - enabling meaningful participation in Belém and beyond.
Unless supported by their employers, schools, or others in their network, youth are responsible for their own travel costs to and from Brazil, and while at COP30. With your help, we can ensure that limited social and financial capital are not barriers to their participation this year.
We seek $200,000-$500,000 to cover anything from just accommodations for 100 youth leaders up to accommodations, flights, domestic travel, meals, and media training for all 100.
This effort is part of our broader COP30 strategy, which includes:
A 4-month media training fellowship to uplift key youth voices and influence negotiations;
A narrative-building campaign led by intergenerational and cross-sectoral collectives;
A Brain Trust of over 1,000 youth and civil society leaders in the COP space, coordinating for collective action.
Levels of Support
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Covers housing, daily meals, and local transport for one youth.
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Covers housing, daily meals, local transport, and participation in our 4-month hybrid Media Training Fellowship for one youth.
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Includes housing, daily meals, local transport, media training, and round-trip flights to Belém for one youth.
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Provides housing, daily meals, local transport, and media training for four youth, supporting collective care and community.
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Strengthens our housing model with community coordination, youth programming, and collective spaces.
Want to support 10+ youth, donate in-kind, or co-host a gathering space? Email: pooja@youthcc.org. We welcome discussion about custom sponsorship packages.
Hear from Youth We've Supported
Alhassan (Egypt)Lamia (Bangladesh)Kopano (South Africa)Piyush (India)When youth can show up: They negotiate. They tell frontline stories. They mobilize global action.