The island’s Youth Climate Summit is set to expand Caribbean representation and engagement when it returns next month for its fifth year.

The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, which hosts the annual event, announced a partnership this week with the United Nations Development Programme Multi Country Office in Jamaica.

The collaboration between BUEI and UNDP will allow Caribbean youth between the ages of 13 and 22 to register as virtual delegates from outside Bermuda through the UNDP’s readysetgreatja.com website.

Online participants will be able to access to YCS virtual sessions scheduled for the first three days of the summit, along with alumni masterclasses on day four.

Traci Burgess, the chief executive of the BUEI, said: “BUEI is excited to expand YCS throughout the Caribbean and connect like-minded young people, many of whom face similar climate challenges living in small island nations that are on the front lines of battling climate change.

“Partnering with UNDP allows BUEI and YCS to expand our educational impact and make greater contributions to developing change makers who will be better prepared to use their voices in advocating for a healthier future.

“This significant collaboration provides substantial opportunities for youth from Bermuda and around the region to connect, educate and inspire each other.”

The summit, which is set for November 17 to 22, will also feature programming built on the new partnership.

Youth activists from UNDP’s Ready Set Great initiative will present virtually alongside international peers on the second day of the summit, bringing first-hand Caribbean perspectives on their climate leadership and activities to the dialogue.

The agenda includes Kishan Khoday, UNDP resident representative, as a featured subject matter expert and the UNDP will host an exclusive Green Jobs of the Future panel for Bermuda’s YCS alumni and Ready Set Great participants on the fourth day of the summit.

Dr Khoday said: “The critical nature of the climate emergency facing island nations and communities requires strategic youth engagement and mentorship for a climate-ready future.

“As the world looks to COP 30 for an ambitious vision, our youth advocates must be proactive and forward thinking, ensuring their voices are heard in corridors of power.

“UNDP therefore welcomes this opportunity to work with the powerful Bermuda Youth Climate Summit on amplifying youth advocacy and action on climate change throughout the region.

“By facilitating the partnership between the Bermuda event and the Ready Set Great platform, we are creating synergies that can only strengthen youth action, youth voices and youth impact in the Caribbean.”

A BUEI spokeswoman said the collaboration would create new opportunities to build meaningful connections with students in the region while maintaining the YCS’s youth-driven approach.

She added: “The partnership also reflects the growing recognition of YCS’s impact in the youth climate space while providing UNDP with a platform to continue engaging young environmental advocates across the Caribbean and beyond.”

For more information, visit www.ycsbda.com.