SWC 2025 Young ISES Manifesto COP30

We, the young people of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), representing diverse regions, cultures, and realities across the world, call upon the leaders of COP30 to move decisively from pledges to implementation. The climate crisis continues to intensify, deepening energy poverty, inequality, conflict and becoming a global mental health challenge —burdens that fall disproportionately on young people and the most vulnerable communities. As youth who will inherit the long-term consequences of today’s decisions, we assert our right to meaningful participation and demand a renewable energy transformation grounded in justice, equity, peace, and universal access. 

In the spirit of the Amazon, where COP30 takes place—a living symbol of global interdependence, Indigenous leadership, and planetary stewardship—we present the following principles and demands to secure a fair, peaceful, and sustainable future for all generations. For three decades, global climate negotiations have produced ambitious language but insufficient action. Young people refuse to accept another cycle of declarations without delivery. COP30 must be the turning point where commitments become implementation. 

 

DEMAND 1 - Meaningful Youth Leadership & Decision-Making Power 

Young people must not only be consulted but structurally integrated into climate and energy governance. 
This includes: 

  • Youth seats with voting power in COP30 processes 

  • Formal youth presidency / co-chairing mechanisms 

  • Funding and institutional support for youth-led implementation projects 

  • Recognition of youth as co-creators of policy, not observers 

 

DEMAND 2 — Universal Access to Clean Energy & Eradication of Energy Poverty 

We demand a global commitment to eliminate energy poverty by 2035 through decentralized renewable energy (DRE), especially solar energy. 
This includes: 

  • Adoption of the Global Solar Energy Access Commitment (G-SEAC) mechanism 

  • Multilateral Development Banks must allocate at least 75% of solar investments to decentralized renewable energy solutions in low- and middle-income countries.  

  • Community-led ownership and youth-led enterprises 

  • Ensuring clean, reliable, and affordable electricity for all 

 

DEMAND 3 — Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (JEDI) & Intergenerational Equity 
This includes: 

  • Embedding JEDI principles into all climate policies 

  • Protection of marginalized communities 

  • Intergenerational fairness mechanisms 

  • Co-governance with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) 

  • Climate decisions guided by human rights 

 

DEMAND 4 — Accountability, Anti-Greenwashing & Transparent Sustainability 

We call for the global recognition of ecocide as an international crime, ensuring that corporations and governments can no longer destroy ecosystems with impunity. 

This includes: 

  • Global Ethical Stocktake (GES) adoption 

  • Recognition of ecocide as an international crime 

  • Obligation for corporations to disclose full climate impact 

  • Independent youth-led monitoring of implementation 

  • End to harmful lobbying by fossil fuel and high-emission sectors 

 

DEMAND 5 — Peace, Security & Climate-Conflict Sensitivity 

Around the world, escalating conflicts drain resources that should be dedicated to climate resilience and universal energy access. Climate justice and peace cannot be separated. 
We call for: 

  • Redirection of resources from war to climate action 

  • Conflict-sensitive adaptation and Loss & Damage finance 

  • Inclusion of conflict-affected states 

  • Global cooperation to prevent climate-fueled displacement 

 

DEMAND 6 — Amazon- and IPLC-centered Climate Governance 
For the Amazon to be protected, its people must be respected. Indigenous and local communities are not passive stakeholders—they are the true guardians of the forest. We reject all forms of environmental colonialism and affirm that climate solutions for the Amazon must be led by those who call it home. 

We demand: 

  • Recognition of Indigenous stewardship as essential 

  • Inclusion of IPLCs as decision-makers, not merely stakeholders 

  • Support for mechanisms such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) 

  • Protection against environmental colonialism 

 

DEMAND 7 — Climate Finance Reform for the Global South 

Climate justice will not be achieved through symbolic pledges or inaccessible financial instruments. Real transitions require real money—delivered equitably, transparently, and without placing new burdens on the Global South. 

We demand: 

  • Scale climate finance to at least US$1.3 trillion/year by 2035 

  • Prioritize low-debt, accessible instruments 

  • Transparency and accountability in climate finance flows 

  • Youth-led DRE projects as a priority category 

  • Ensure that African nations and other historically marginalized regions play central leadership roles in shaping climate finance frameworks, recognizing their disproportionate vulnerability and their essential contribution to global climate solutions. 

 

DEMAND 8 — Ethical Supply Chains for Critical Minerals 

We demand: 

  • Zero tolerance for forced/child labor 

  • Mandatory Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous and local communities 

  • Full traceability and ethical sourcing procedures 

  • Renewable technologies must be free of exploitation 

 

DEMAND 9 — Just Transition, Workforce Adaptation & Future Skills 

The energy transition must not replicate existing inequalities. Young people demand fair labor conditions, accessible career pathways, and research environments free from precarity. We demand: 

  • Global clean-energy skills initiative (GSTT) 

  • Millions trained across the Global South 

  • Youth-driven job creation in renewable industries 

  • Support for training, education, and research funding 

 

DEMAND 10 — Sustainable Technology, Circularity & Quality Standards 

We demand: 

  • Global guidelines for PV recycling & end-of-life 

  • Circular economy framework for solar technologies 

  • Mandatory international quality standards 

  • Modernization of grids & digital transparency 

 

We pledge to lead this transformation alongside communities, scientists, and Indigenous knowledge holders. As COP30 takes place in Belém—in the heart of the Amazon—we call on world leaders to honor their responsibility to future generations by delivering real, measurable, and just action. We call for a global mutirão—a collective effort that unites climate, nature, and social equity as inseparable pillars of a livable future. 

 

Elaborated in November 2025, Solar World Congress 2025, Fortaleza, Brazil 

SWC 2025 Young ISES Manifesto - COP 30
SWC 2025 Young ISES Manifesto - COP 30