Navigating the Tensions Between Activism and Diplomacy
A Case Study of the UN’s Youth Advisory Group On Climate Change
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19486014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Luigi Di Martino (0000-0001-8490-0804, Western Sydney University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-08 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Applied Youth Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2204-9193 • E-ISSN: 2204-9207 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s43151-026-00219-z |
| OpenAlex | W7163864770 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
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
Climate change · Climate justice · Diplomacy · Grassroots · Inclusion (mineral) · Negotiation · Salience (neuroscience) · Climate Change Communication and Perception · International Science and Diplomacy · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Citizen Youth
Among everyday makers and expert citizens
School strike for climate are leading the way
Toward a Normative Turn in Track Two Diplomacy? A Review of the Literature
“School Strike 4 Climate”
“Looking Both Ways”
How to Interview Managers? Methodical and Methodological Aspects of Expert Interviews as a Qualitative Method in Empirical Social Research
The New Public Diplomacy
Young People and Everyday Peace
Intersecting Agendas
Children's participation in international fora
Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age
Diplomacy, Ethics and the National Interest
Culture, Cultural Diversity and Humanity-centred Diplomacies
Youth participation and agency in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The Politics of Youth Representation at Climate Change Conferences
The gender turn in diplomacy
Coordination Between Track Two and Track One Diplomacy in Successful Cases of Prenegotiation
Young people, social media and connective action
The politics of global youth participation
Youth agency in public diplomacy
Confronting international organizations on social media? Understanding digital self-representation of liminal youth in global governance
The materiality of youth representation at climate summits
Campaign Entrepreneurs in Online Collective Action
The New Public Sphere
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |