ASEAN Young Climate Leaders Programme (ASEANYCLP) is a programme under the ASEAN Foundation’s partnership with SAP, GIZ and Common Purpose to anchor cross-boundary leadership skills of young people in ASEAN to tackle the pressing socio-economic issues across the ASEAN region.

ASEAN YCLP aims to gather young talents across the ASEAN region to share and exchange ideas on sustainability, environment, and climate action-related issues in the region and build collaboration to contribute to resolving of the issues. Selected 100 young individuals will participate in a 4-day virtual leadership programme to sharpen their skills and increase understanding of ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment as well as the current trends of the sustainability, environment, and climate action-related issues in the region.

This programme allows participant to cultivate leadership learning using the conduit of environmental challenge which is based on the ASEAN strategies on environmental blueprint, namely (1) Nature conservation and biodiversity, (2) Coastal and marine environment, (3) Water resources management, (4) Environmentally sustainable cities, (5) Climate change, (6) Chemicals and waste, (7) Environmental education and sustainable consumption and production. The participants would form groups with other inspired individuals across ASEAN to present and implement online and/or offline collaborative projects to tackle the issues across the seven strategies mentioned. The projects may include, but not limited to, webinar, research, workshop, social media campaign, video production, app development, fund-raising, project proposal and on-the-ground activities involving local communities, following each national health protocols. Seed grants will be provided to the projects and there will be an opportunity for selected projects to be shared with the relevant ASEAN bodies, including the ASEAN Secretariat.

Climate change is known as a transnational issue and according to Paris Agreement such problem has to be tackled in a collaborative manner referring it as a common goal. Not only that participant would raise awareness and provide means to combat climate change, this programme enables them to enhance their ASEAN identity. By committing to the ASCC Blueprint 2025, ASEAN has created an urgent common ground as climate emergency can never be done individually. ASEAN has proposed many efforts and this programme is paving the way for young people to put forward their solutions that engages and benefits the people and is inclusive, sustainable, resilient and dynamic.

ASEAN YCLP will select 100 participants before forming them into a total of 20 teams which consist of different nationalities to show common ground despite differences. After the 4-day virtual programme, each team will be given a week to prepare and submit their project proposals for assessment for the seed grants. They will be given four months to implement their projects with the guidance of their respective mentors.