Recording

Background

The global energy/Economy transition and climate crisis pose great challenges and opportunities for the MENA region. Youth are key actors in this transformation, as they are innovators, entrepreneurs, and advocates of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate action. While promoting youth, it is crucial to engage them with professionals and experts to bridge the gap and encourage enhancing their knowledge. 

The session started off with an intergenerational panel discussion which should enable youth to engage in decision-making processes and contribute to net zero carbon in energy and industry. It featured youth voices, expert insights, as well as regional and international perspectives on the transition's challenges and opportunities. It also addressed just transition, climate justice, energy security, climate adaptation and resilience, and conflicts and political instability's impact on systemic transformation and justice in the region. The speakers discussed the role of national and regional law, regulation, and policy frameworks in fostering the transiting to net zero MENA. Therefore, we delved into the implementation of just transition mechanism, bio-economy, and circular economy and its impacts on the economy of the region. This segment created an inter-generational platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing, aiming to empower youth to lead the race toward a prosperous future for MENA.

This was followed by an interactive learning exercise “Green Jobs Policy Challenge” which should enhance participants' awareness and understanding of green jobs, emphasizing their pivotal role in addressing environmental challenges. By engaging players in thoughtful discussions and evaluations of the relevance of such jobs in their respective countries, the game aimed to foster a deeper appreciation for the significance of green industries. Ultimately, the game concluded by generating informed policy recommendations that align with the specific needs and opportunities within the green job sector.

Organizers

YOUNGO is the official children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). YOUNGO is a vibrant, global network of children and youth activists (up to 35 years) as well as youth NGOs, who contribute to shaping the intergovernmental climate change policies and strive to empower youth to formally bring their voices to the UNFCCC processes.

Arab Youth4COP aims to unite youth activists, advocates, academics, and policymakers in the Arab region to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems, and to strengthen the participation of young Arabs in environmental decision-making.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is a lead global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation that serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, supports countries in their energy transitions, and provides state of the art data and analyses on technology, innovation, policy, finance, and investment. IRENA drives the widespread adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, including bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, solar, and wind energy, in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, and energy security for economic and social resilience and prosperity and a climate-proof future.

Youthinkgreen

Objectives

• Assess Regional Climate Challenges and Opportunities by Presenting an overview of the current climate challenges faced by the MENA region, such as extreme weather events, and climate-induced migration. And Highlighting the opportunities based on the current situation in the region for renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green job creation in the region
• Raise awareness and build capacities of MENA youth and activists in the field of Just energy transition and building resilience in their respective communities
• Empower MENA youth to get their voices heard where it wasn’t listened to for a long time. By Showcasing Best Practices and success stories from within the MENA region and globally on Just Transition initiatives

Agenda and Format