Ministers Answer Children's COP31 Climate Declaration With Payment, Finance Plans

Children handed COP31 a declaration of climate demands on Nov. 14, 2026, and ministers from Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan answered with their own playbooks, from child ambassador assemblies to cash payments that start automatically when heat warnings go out. The Türkiye–UNICEF sideline event produced no votes or binding commitments, so its weight now depends on whether negotiators pick up the asks.

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• Uzbekistan pitches automatic social payments triggered by heatwave and drought warnings
• Azerbaijan calls for climate finance that prioritizes projects protecting children
• UAE minister cites 49.5C heat and says family and climate policy can't be siloed
• Children present the 27th International Children's Forum Declaration, from school climate plans to air-quality monitoring
• Türkiye touts a "four out of four" child-responsiveness rating for its national climate plan

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Three Governments, Three Child-Climate Playbooks

Why it matters: The moderated panel was the longest stretch of the event, about 30 minutes. Three governments described working mechanisms rather than aspirations, and those models could shape what COP31 follow-up looks like for children.

Uzbekistan: Cash Before the Crisis. Mansurbek Olayarov, Director of the National Agency for Social Protection under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, offered the most operational proposal of the day. He outlined an adaptive social protection strategy with UNICEF that links early warnings to cash support.

"For example, as soon as heatwave and drought warning is issued, payments and social system should start automatically," said Olayarov.

He said nearly 9.5 million Uzbek children, about nine in 10, are exposed to heat waves. He described mahalla social workers and social registers as the delivery backbone. A mahalla is a neighborhood-level community unit. He also proposed:

• Social indicators in the national climate plan
• Retraining for workers
• Mahalla-level adaptation plans

The trade-off: Olayarov tied the strategy to energy reform. Uzbekistan targets a 50% cut in emissions per unit of GDP from 2010 levels by 2035 and 54% renewables by 2030. He said household electricity prices rose nearly 1.5 times in the first stage of market liberalization, which is why protections for poor households matter. He cited a Green Climate Fund portfolio above $200M and a €264M regional programme. He also pointed to the Samarkand Declaration from the World Summit on Investing in Children's Wellbeing, which was circulated at the U.N. General Assembly on Nov. 4.

Azerbaijan: Money and Mechanisms. Bahar Muradova, Chairperson of Azerbaijan's State Committee for Family, Women, and Children Affairs, built on the COP29 legacy. She cited the expert dialogue on children and climate change, the Baku Climate Coalition and a Child Ambassadors Assembly.

"Climate finance must give greater attention to projects that protect children," said Muradova.

She also asked that children's participation go beyond consultations. She called for child-led platforms to cooperate across countries and for national adaptation policies to protect vulnerable children. "One important outcome of COP31 should be stronger commitments and lasting mechanisms for children's participation in climate action," she said.

UAE: Heat, Water and Family. Sana bint Mohammed Suhail, Minister of Family of the United Arab Emirates, said temperatures in parts of the UAE reached 49.5 degrees Celsius in 2025. She said water scarcity taught the country the link between environmental and family resilience.

She described a Sustainable School Initiative and a Sustainability Club for young leaders. She credited the COP28 presidency's Youth Climate Championship with giving children a stronger global voice. Her core argument was that climate action should be done with children, not only for them. "The future belongs to our children, not us," said Suhail.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No decisions were taken. The proposals point in three directions:

• Uzbekistan's model shifts risk off low-income families.
• Azerbaijan's ask targets how climate funds are allocated.
• The UAE frames the work as shared across government, schools, families and the private sector.

What's next: Closing the panel, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş of Türkiye said "every step we take must place children's rights, needs, and views at its heart."

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Children Hand COP31 Their 'First Word'

The basics: The declaration grew out of children's rights committees in all 81 Turkish provinces. In June, a Children's Advisory Council drew up a calendar of 29 activities under five themes, and coordinated activities took place Sept. 13. Children from Türkiye and other countries finalized the text at a forum the day before the event. Two child representatives read it aloud.

Why it matters: The declaration gives negotiators a concrete, child-authored list of asks. The children framed it as an opening bid, not a final demand.

"For us, this declaration is not a final letter. It is our first word. Trust us. Give us the opportunity," said a child representative from Türkiye's children's rights committees.

Where things stand: The declaration calls for child-participation mechanisms backed by public institutions, international organizations and civil society. It asks that children's views be sought, especially from children in disaster-prone and rural areas and children with disabilities.

Its policy asks include:

• Child-friendly climate reports
• A secure digital map for reporting neighborhood problems
• Annual school climate action plans and climate literacy in every grade
• Air-quality monitoring near construction and industrial sites
• Rainwater infiltration in schoolyards
• Disaster plans and drills
• School food-waste targets and give-and-reuse points
• Digital carbon footprint tools
• Removal of ghost nets, the fishing gear abandoned at sea
• A national children's climate archive
• Joint international events

"Children are not only the voice of the future, we have a voice today as well," said a second child representative.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The declaration was presented, not adopted. Schools, local governments and environmental agencies would carry most of the implementation if governments act on it. The archive and digital reporting map would require new public infrastructure.

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Host and UNICEF Pledge to Stay at the Table

Where things stand: Göktaş tied children's participation to Türkiye's 2053 net-zero target. She said about 1.1 billion children face multiple climate risks and framed intergenerational justice as a duty. She also credited the Zero Waste Movement launched under the First Lady.

"Our national climate plan updated with UNICEF received the highest rating for its responsiveness to children and young people, four out of four," said Göktaş.

She said the committees, with 48,000 members, carried out activities in 43 provinces and awareness work in all 81. She urged that the call to action be turned into concrete steps.

Paolo Marchi, UNICEF Türkiye Representative, set aside his prepared speech. He praised the children's attention to less fortunate children and children with disabilities. "Your voice is heard," he told them, adding, "we look forward for you to lead us to do the right thing."

Why it matters: As COP31 host, Türkiye is positioning child participation as part of its climate diplomacy. Both Türkiye and UNICEF said they would continue the cooperation beyond the summit.

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Minor Items

• Children from Australia, Bolivia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Nepal, Pakistan, Romania and Uzbekistan joined Turkish delegates.
• Muradova highlighted environmental work by Azerbaijan's Heydar Aliyev Foundation and IDEA Public Union.
• That work includes the Caucasus Big Five programme and the "Mama, Mother Nature" art project.

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Looking Ahead

The event closed with a group photo and Göktaş's hope that stakeholders will take the children's recommendations into account. No commitments were recorded. Watch whether child-focused finance or participation language surfaces in formal COP31 outcomes.