Navigating the tensions between activism and diplomacy: a case study of the UN’s Youth Advisory Group On Climate Change

In this paper, I explore young people’s diplomatic practices in shaping climate diplomacy through a case study of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Drawing on interviews with group members and analysis of their digital communication on X, the paper examines how youth navigate the tensions between grassroots activism and institutional diplomacy. While advisory groups provide opportunities for youth inclusion in global climate governance, they also impose constraints shaped by institutional norms, diplomatic expectations, and state-centric structures. Participants adopt an issue-based and intersectional approach to climate advocacy, shifting attention from national interests to global justice concerns. Their practices reflect emerging forms of diplomacy aligned with human-centred, feminist, and track two approaches, which foreground empathy, participation, and the salience of structural issues. The study contributes to debates on youth inclusion and climate diplomacy by highlighting how young activists both challenge and adapt to the limitations of institutional participation.