DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The official website for Global Youth Climate Week (the Week) is now open. It is calling on global multi-stakeholders to register their events and demonstrate their support for the climate actions of the next generation. Interested individuals and organizations can find the website at: Global Youth Climate Week
"The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) will feature the first global stocktake since the signing of the Paris Agreement," stated Dr. WANG Binbin, the Executive Secretary-General of Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC). "While the international society looks at the state of our planet and charts a better course for the future, it is important to recognize the crucial role of youth as the backbone of the net-zero future and offer them adequate support to assume this historical responsibility."
Scheduled one week ahead of each COP, the Week aims to contribute to global climate governance by providing a mechanism for the next generation to amplify their climate voice, hone their innovative solutions, and turn their climate actions into actual impact. It was first proposed by GAUC to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in February 2022 and was co-initiated by GAUC and over 100 global partners eight months later. Ms. Patricia Espinosa, the former UNFCCC Executive Secretary, praised the Week as "an impactful contribution to the UNFCCC process".
By launching the official website for the Week, GAUC aims to further broaden the inclusiveness of the Week and warmly invite all relevant multi-stakeholders to join the endeavor and contribute to the momentum by organizing climate-related events during November 20th to 24th, 2023, and register the events at the Week's website ahead.
Bring youth's climate actions to international arena
Building on the success of GAUC's youth cultivating activities in 2022, GAUC has upscaled its 'Climate x' Leadership Training Program by opening it to global college students and channeling the climate actions of its students to the Week.
The Training Program, which features a '1+3' module to encourage its students to translate climate knowledge into tangible impacts, enrolled close to 1000 students from 74 countries and around 400 universities, 88% of which are from Global South. Within the module, '1' refers to the online coursework offered by academic experts that spans one month in July; '3' symbolizes the three hybrid events that students are required to complete from August to November. The students who demonstrate climate leadership during the Training Program will be selected as delegates of the GAUC COP28 Youth Delegation, the third such group GAUC brought to COP.
By the time the official website of the Week launched, students had already organized close to 200 events in their local communities, impacting approximately 20,000 people in total. During the Week 2023, students will be organizing their third set of events, acknowledged as the youth-led contributions to the Week and will be demonstrated at COP28.
Convening multi-stakeholders' support for a successful COP28
Support from multi-stakeholders is essential in preparing the next generation to be the leaders of a sustainable net-zero future. Leveraging the strength of its partners, GAUC has provided diverse resources to empower students of the Training Program, including more than 20 guest lectures and 5 field trips.
"We hold firm dedication and vigorous ambitions in tackling the climate change challenge," said Alice HO, the Chief Youth Officer of GAUC. "However, it is important for us, the future climate leaders, to learn from today's leaders. We need the support from you."
This December, GAUC will host a GAUC Pavilion inside the Blue Zone of COP28, which is the first time GAUC is hosting a dedicated Pavilion for its young delegates and partners. "We welcome our partners to organize their events at the GAUC pavilion. I and the GAUC Youth Delegation look forward to working together with them to contribute youth's strength to a successful COP28," Alice said.
Any interested individuals and entities could go to http://www.globalyouthclimateweek.org/ to register their events to be organized during the Week and learn the latest updates regarding collaboration opportunities during COP28.
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