More than 60 young climate innovators from around the world are gathering in Milan on 19 October to begin a five-city journey across Italy, bringing solutions developed in their own communities into conversation with businesses, universities, public institutions and other partners that can help them grow.

Behind the event is Youth4Climate, a programme co-led by the Government of Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help young people turn climate ideas into real projects through funding, training, mentorship and connections. First launched in Milan at Pre-COP26 in 2021, the programme has since supported 200 youth-led solutions across 69 countries with an envelope of USD 5 million in direct catalytic funding. Five years later, it returns to where it began with the event "Youth4Climate: Connecting Solutions", bringing 50 newly selected 2026 projects to Italy for a week focused on what comes next: implementation, partnerships and scale.

From 19 to 23 October, participants will travel through Milan, Venice, Bologna, Naples and Rome, engaging with leading Italian institutions, universities, companies and research organisations working across different parts of the country's climate and innovation ecosystem.

The event begins at Palazzo Marino, where the Milan programme brings young innovators into direct contact with leading actors in public policy, research, finance, business, fashion and ocean action. Participants will get the chance to engage with the Comune di Milano and Lombardy Region, Bocconi University and Politecnico di Milano, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Generali, One Ocean Foundation, E4Impact and UN Global Compact Network Italy.

Following the Milan opening, participants will split into different thematic routes. In Venice, one group will explore how architecture, design, urban planning and ocean literacy can contribute to climate adaptation, with visits and exchanges involving Iuav University of Venice, UNDP Local Action Winter School, UNESCO's SEABEYOND Ocean Literacy Centre, The Human Safety Net and Carlo Ratti Associati. A second group will travel through Bologna and Naples. In Bologna, participants will engage with Gruppo Hera and Tetra Pak around the energy transition, circular economy, advanced materials and sustainable food systems, before visiting Forno Brisa to explore climate-conscious entrepreneurship and local supply chains. In Naples, the programme at the University of Naples Federico II will focus on digital innovation, artificial intelligence and agritech, including exchanges with the Apple Developer Academy and the National Research Centre on Agricultural Technologies.

The full cohort will then reunite in Rome, where the journey concludes with the Youth4Climate Awards Ceremony, recognising the 50 projects selected through the 2026 Call for Solutions. Participants will also take part in further institutional engagements, including a visit to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) focused on innovation and agrifood systems transformation.

The week reflects a broader ambition behind Youth4Climate, ensuring that promising youth-led solutions have support not only to get started, but to develop, demonstrate results and ultimately reach more people. As we move towards COP31, the global climate conversation is increasingly focused on implementation: not only what governments and institutions commit to, but how those commitments translate into action, and who has the opportunity and resources to deliver it. Youth-led solutions have an important role in that process. Giving young innovators access to finance, expertise, partnerships and decision-makers can help ensure that implementation also draws on solutions already being developed and tested in communities around the world.

Through its annual Call for Solutions, Youth4Climate provides selected projects with up to USD 30,000 in direct catalytic funding, alongside mentorship, technical guidance, capacity development, visibility and access to a global network of peers and partners. Results from earlier cohorts are already showing what can happen after that initial support. Among the projects that have completed their Youth4Climate-funded activities, 80 per cent continue beyond the grant period, with solutions expanding their operations, reaching new communities and attracting additional resources. Across the wider portfolio, Youth4Climate-supported projects have mobilised more than USD 1.7 million in additional funding as of September 2026.

(NOTE: This story was originally prepared ahead of the event and is being republished after its conclusion.)