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The document argues that young people (aged 10-24) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately affected by climate change but face structural barriers and tokenism that hinder their participation in decision-making. It proposes a research framework based on social context, substance, procedure, power, and agency to analyse youth engagement in Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The research identifies a sustainable infrastructure investment gap of USD 18-36 trillion in developing countries, with critical needs in power generation, transport, and water. It analyzes the roles of various public finance actors—including bilateral aid agencies, multilateral development banks (MDBs), and national development banks (NDBs)—highlighting a systemic mismatch where the largest mitigation potentials in upper-middle-income countries lack access to concessional finance. The paper argues for a shift from project-specific finance to financial system development and the scaling of blended finance and risk-mitigation instruments to crowd in private capital.