Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 9-25-2025

Abstract

With an emphasis on young involvement and capacity-building, this policy paper assesses the execution of digital Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) programs after COP29. While COP29 brought promising initiatives to improve digital learning and inclusivity, such as the Youth Delegate Program and the Capacity-Building Hub, there are still significant gaps in long-term follow up, transparency, and regional participation. Although regional digital participation was launched by the Presidency Youth Climate Champion (PYCC) project, its impact is tough to evaluate due to a lack of public reporting and categorized data. Similarly, the Capacity-Building Hub did not include regional digital access or language inclusion, but it did include youth and gender-related participation indicators. Despite digital ACE delivery’s promise to improve education, transparency, and public involvement, these flaws are indicative of a larger trend of under-implementation. Establishing a digital ACE monitoring framework, instituting regional digital hubs, incorporating ACE into systems for climate transparency, creating an ACE innovation fund, and requiring public reporting on ACE initiatives are the five specific activities that this study suggests. When combined, these solutions can aid in closing the implementation gap and bringing ACE’s activities into line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. As COP30 draws near, it is imperative that parties emphasize the implementation of digital inclusion as a fundamental component of fair and successful climate empowerment that deliver positive results towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, rather than just a supplementary measure.

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