COP28: Youth at the heart of climate action

Dozens of sessions discussed the importance of building skills and knowledge to address climate change as a global challenge that needs to be addressed today and build the capabilities of tomorrow.

Empowering youth and engaging them in global action was one of the goals that the COP adopted early on and succeeded in achieving through the Youth Day.

According to the United Nations, education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behaviours and help them make informed decisions.

Studies show that awareness and education about climate change and the trend towards adopting green solutions and products will not only have a direct impact, but will have a greater impact by pushing companies to adopt a more environmentally friendly approach in production environment and in the products and services they offer.

According to the United Nations, education is one of the decisive factors in addressing the issue of climate change, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change assigns the responsibility to the parties to the Convention to carry out educational campaigns and public awareness campaigns about climate change, to ensure public participation in programmes and access to information about this issue.

According to a study by McKinsey Company, consumers are shifting their spending towards products with claims related to environmental, social and governance (ESG).

The study showed that, in many categories, there is a clear and significant relationship between consumer spending and sustainability claims on product packaging.

During the global event, the Ministry of Education hosted for the first time in the history of COP a thematic pavilion for the education sector under the title "Legacy from Zayed's Land", with the participation of a wide range of educational institutions.

The launch of this pavilion came as a manifestation of the cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with the launch of the ‘The Greening Education Partnership' by the two sides ahead of the COP28. This pavilion confirms the important role of the education sector and all educational institutions in raising awareness among the emerging generations of climate challenges.

The United Arab Emirates University is participating in the COP28 and is showcasing its activities and initiatives, which aim to support the environment and climate action, promote environmental awareness and the principles of sustainability in all aspects of life, and provide solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.