Today's Edition
BAKU (WAM)
The UAE Pavilion at COP29 on Monday witnessed discussions that focused on climate action for food and agriculture, with a strong emphasis on the importance of including youth voices in the climate agenda.
Participants in a session on food and agriculture systems affirmed that the link between climate action and food systems is a top priority, and that progress in this area cannot be achieved without such dialogues that focus primarily on agriculture.
Efforts to research and discuss this topic will continue during the Global Food Security Week in Abu Dhabi, from November 26 to 28, where issues of food security will be discussed, and the spotlight will be on building safe and sustainable food systems with the participation of local and international partners.
Opening discussions at a session entitled "Empowering Youth for Climate Action: Ambitions, Careers, and Global Impact," Dr Farid Gayibov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sport, explained how the country had established “Youth Day” in the national calendar before the UN took it up as a thematic day.
“We have more than 300 youth organisations in the country and are trying to organise youth capital to support youth engagement initiatives across different parts of Azerbaijan,” he said.
Pedro Sereno, Future Sustainability Leader at Y4S, stated how his “daily job now is to understand the most innovative projects in the pipeline across all the business units at my company, while going to the European Commission to understand what funding options are available.”
In the UAE Climate Changemaker Majlis with Youth4Sustainability and ZSP: Fortune Favors the Young conversation, Zayed Sustainability Prize winner and Youth Ambassador, Toby Thorpe, spoke of how he had used the prize fund award to set up a local sustainability centre to convene people from all around the world to discuss vital sustainability issues.
The “Climate Leaders Programme” is now working with over 95,000 young people globally to engender better climate leadership.
“Have a leadership style that inspires and brings other young people along with you on the journey,” he said.
Towards the end of the day, Circular Economy and Waste Reduction: Youth Pioneering the Path to Zero Waste with NYU Abu Dhabi showcased more youth-driven innovations in circular economy and waste reduction initiatives, particularly throughout the developing world, and sharing best practices from zero-waste campuses and cities.
