Applications have opened for the COP31 Youth Academy Team, a new initiative that will give university students across Türkiye the opportunity to work alongside academics and researchers during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya.

The conference is scheduled to take place from Nov. 9 to 20, with Türkiye hosting the global climate summit. The Youth Academy Team is being coordinated by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) as part of efforts to strengthen youth participation in the academic dimension of COP31.

The program is open to associate, undergraduate, master's and doctoral students who wish to contribute to academic projects and events linked to the conference.

Applications will be accepted online through the official COP31 website between Aug. 24 and 26 under the slogan "Be Part of the Team."

Students to work alongside academics

Applicants are required to contact the academic supervisor responsible for the relevant project or event before submitting their applications. Students must confirm the project or event title as well as the academic information submitted to YÖK within the framework of the COP31 academic program.

Once applications close, student submissions will be matched against the official academic project database maintained by YÖK.

Projects associated with the applications will then undergo academic evaluation according to the criteria applied to other academic submissions for COP31.

Students connected to projects that receive approval will be selected based on several criteria, including eligibility, foreign language proficiency and their potential contribution to the assigned project, subject to available quotas.

Selected students to receive training

Students selected for the Youth Academy Team will undergo a training program organized by YÖK ahead of the conference.

Those who successfully complete the training will be assigned to assist academics and researchers on the days their respective projects or events are scheduled as part of the official COP31 program.

Their specific duties and assignments will be announced after the conference's academic program has been finalized.

Özvar: Youth must be part of the solution

YÖK President Erol Özvar emphasized the importance of involving young people in efforts to address climate change, describing it as a global challenge that affects both present and future generations.

Özvar said sustainability is now a shared responsibility and stressed that young people should go beyond simply following international climate discussions.

"Young people must not only follow global climate discussions but also contribute with their knowledge and ideas, take responsibility and become part of the solution," he said.

He encouraged university students across Türkiye to take advantage of the opportunity to participate directly in COP31's academic activities, emphasizing that youth engagement will be crucial to efforts to build a more sustainable future.

Through the Youth Academy Team, Türkiye aims to provide students with first-hand experience of an international climate conference while enabling them to contribute to academic work on climate change, sustainability and related global challenges. (ILKHA)