NEW YORK (WAM), 4th May 2023 — During the United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum (ECOSOC), over 200 young people participated in a series engagement events organized by the COP28 Youth Climate Champion team and the COP28 Presidency.
The first event, “Harnessing the Power of Youth Climate Action”, was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. Over 70 participants from around the world attended, including country delegations, partners in development, and youth advocates.
The team held a global consultation with more than 30 participants, in collaboration with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (YOUNGO), to give youth an opportunity share their opinions, perspectives and expectations for the COP28.
During the consultation participants discussed the challenges and opportunities for youth engagement in advance of COP28. They also expressed their appreciation for the role of the YCC within the COP28 presidency to raise the voices of youth around the globe and mobilise constructive engagement by youth.
The team also held over 20 meetings with international organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy, and various permanent missions of countries to the UN, such as Costa Rica Zambia and Kenya, to promote the role of the YCC and international cooperation.
The team also organised a networking event with more than 100 participants. Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab (Deputy Permanent Representative of UAE at the UN) gave the opening remarks.
Participants included representatives of the UAE Permanent Mission, UN agencies, Country Missions and ECOSOC delegates. Also present were Emirati students, YOUNGOs, other youth-led organizations, and ECOSOC delegates. Participants were informed about the plans of the UAE Presidency for youth engagement, and the role played by the YCC within the COP28 presidency.
Shamma al Mazrui (COP28 Youth Climate Champion) is the UAE Minister for Community Development. She elaborated her ambitions in this regard. “Meaningful Youth Empowerment is a crucial pillar to the success of COP28. We recognise that the ingenuity and energy young people bring are key drivers to propel momentum and innovative solutions required to invigorate our pathway towards 2030 goals.
The COP28 presidency will create platforms to connect youth with policymakers and decision makers, ensuring that they have a say in multilateral climate processes. We are committed in delivering an inclusive strategy that engages all segments of the society, including our youth.
The role of YCC requires that they integrate four fundamental pillars into all their activities. These are: Participation (PAVE), Action (PAVE), Voice and Education. YCC encourages youth engagement and climate action, amplifies the voices of youth, and offers environmental and institutional learning for youth around the world.
The COP28 presidency launched the ‘International Youth Climate Delegates Programme” in March 2023. This was the largest initiative to empower youth worldwide to participate fully in the COP processes, with a particular focus on youths from the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States.
