WMO puts youth at the centre of climate action with new Youth Action Plan 2025–27

Recognising this growing leadership, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has placed youth at the heart of its mission through the newly adopted Youth Action Plan (2025–2027).

As climate risks intensify and new technologies reshape how societies understand weather, climate and water, young people are emerging as critical drivers of change. Across the world, youth are innovating solutions, communicating science, and mobilising communities—reshaping global responses to climate-related risks. Recognising this growing leadership, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has placed youth at the heart of its mission through the newly adopted Youth Action Plan (2025–2027).

The Youth Action Plan provides a structured framework to ensure that young people are not only beneficiaries of climate and weather services, but also active contributors and decision-makers in shaping them. It reflects WMO’s commitment to intergenerational collaboration at a time when climate change is accelerating and resilience-building has become a global priority.

From Strategy to Action

On 20 November 2025, WMO marked World Children’s Day by hosting its first “Next Generation of Climate, Weather and Water Leaders Day”, held as part of the Organization’s 75th anniversary celebrations. The event introduced WMO staff to the Youth Action Plan through interactive presentations, discussions, and partner insights, reinforcing a central message: while young people are among those most affected by climate change, they are also indispensable partners in addressing it.

As implementation progresses, WMO is shifting from planning to concrete action. An internal workshop brought together colleagues from across the Secretariat to explore how youth engagement can be systematically integrated into programmes, governance structures, and communication strategies. The session helped deepen institutional understanding of the Youth Action Plan and strengthened efforts to embed youth perspectives across WMO’s technical and operational work.

Building a Global Youth Network

Youth engagement in climate and weather services is already growing at national and regional levels, but coordination across borders has been limited. That is set to change in early 2026, when WMO Youth Member Representatives will convene in Tokyo, Japan, for the first Global Youth Focal Point Coordination Meeting.

Hosted by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the meeting will bring together young representatives from all WMO Regions to align approaches, strengthen collaboration, and consolidate youth-mainstreaming efforts. A key outcome will be the launch of a global youth network dedicated to advancing the Youth Action Plan across regions, ensuring coherence between local realities and global scientific frameworks.

Expanding Digital Engagement and Outreach

To amplify youth voices and make climate science more accessible, WMO is also expanding its digital and outreach initiatives. These include a new season of the WMO podcast “Beyond the Forecast: Youth Conversations”, a video series featuring WMO members and staff, and an updated Youth Engagement webpage. Together, these platforms aim to highlight youth leadership, foster dialogue, and inspire future generations to engage with meteorological, climate and hydrological sciences.

Shaping the Future Together

The Youth Action Plan reflects WMO’s broader commitment to strengthening science, improving climate and weather services, and building global resilience through genuine intergenerational collaboration. As implementation accelerates, young people are increasingly shaping the future of weather, climate and water services—bringing innovation, urgency and new perspectives to global challenges.

WMO’s message is clear: youth will not only have a seat at the table, but the space and support to lead in building a safer, more resilient world.