RCOY Central Asia 2026 is the only fully youth-led platform of its kind in the region: on 4-6 September, around 100 delegates from nine countries (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan) will gather in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to develop a common regional position on water security and climate justice.
The Third Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY) Central Asia 2026 will be held under the theme “Youth of Central Asia for Water Security and Climate Justice.” The conference is organized by a coalition of independent youth movements, networks and organizations from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
For Central Asia, climate change is above all a water crisis. Glaciers in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountains are melting rapidly, water bodies are shrinking, and water scarcity in transboundary rivers such as the Amu Darya and Syr Darya is growing year by year.
Photo: UNICEF Tajikistan / G. Pirozzi
No single country can address this alone: rivers do not recognize borders, and shared river basins require shared solutions. More than half of the region’s population is under 30 – they are the ones who will live with the consequences of today’s decisions, and they are the ones who must shape long-term adaptation policy now. The conference aims to turn scattered local activism into coordinated political influence.
The conference’s main outcome will be a joint Regional Youth Statement (RYS) with an Action Plan, addressed to the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP31), containing concrete demands on glacier preservation and water resource management. The final document will be officially presented at UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya (9-20 November 2026) and at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi (8-10 December 2026) and will be integrated into YOUNGO’s Global Youth Statement.
Photo: RCOY Central Asia 2024 Regional Conference of Youth, Bishkek
This is the third edition of the conference: the first two RCOY Central Asia gatherings were held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 2022 and 2024. Uzbekistan was selected as the host country by all members of the organizing committee: the government provides administrative and logistical support, while substantive decisions remain with the youth-led organizing committee. The event is also supported by UN agencies and international partners.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
- Apply to attend the conference – by 2 August 2026: https://forms.gle/JYjAFD6zMrpUnQg67
- Submit recommendations for the Regional Youth Statement – by 10 August 2026: https://forms.gle/fdvaXPffNazy3Nmw9
MEDIA CONTACTS
RCOY Central Asia 2026 Organizing Committee: [email protected]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rcoycentralasia