Italy. – The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Rome Centre announced that the global flagship 2023 Youth4Climate event will take place in October in Rome, Italy, where high-level international authorities will listen to the voices of 150 young people on solutions to tackle the climate emergency.

The announcement was made at a press conference on April 12, 2023, led by Italian Minister of Environment and Energy, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and joined by Agostino Inguscio, representative of UNDP in Italy and coordinator of the UNDP Rome Centre, Pierluigi Sassi, President of Earth Day Italy, and Antonia Testa, co-founder of Earth Day celebrations in Italy. "We intend to work together with and for young people, whose passion and commitment to fighting the climate crisis has been proudly sponsored by Italy in recent years," said Minister Pichetto Fratin. 

The participants to the conference will be selected based on project proposals submitted to the Youth4Climate: Call for Solution in recent months on the thematic areas of energy, education, urban sustainability, and food and agriculture. "This year's Youth4Climate event will be an inspiring experience: even more concretely than in previous years. It will offer young participants the opportunity to realize their ideas, enhance their capacities, and actively take part in the fight against climate change," added Minister Pichetto Fratin. He highlighted that the winners of this year’s Youth4Climate competition will receive up to $20,000 in funding to implement their project proposals, alongside mentorship from UNDP and partners.

The conference was also an opportunity to introduce the "All4YouthItaly 2023" campaign, which will consist of a series of discussions in the month preceding the Youth4Climate event, aimed at fostering discussion and dialogue on climate change and the goals of the Paris Agreement. The campaign is a joint effort between UNDP, the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the World Bank’s "Connect4Climate" program. 

On the collaboration between the UNDP Rome Centre and the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, Agostino Inguscio, representative of UNDP in Italy and coordinator of UNDP Rome Centre, said that the UNDP Centre serves as an operational platform for youth, climate, and energy outcomes. “The Centre wants to connect UNDP's capacity and connections in emerging economies and developing countries with Italy's public-private ecosystem, to promote sustainable investments aligned with the Paris Agreement.” He added that the partnership between UNDP and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy can foster the mobilization of capital and expertise toward high-impact projects to fight climate change.