We got the opportunity to attend, for the very first time, the 28th Conference of Parties-COP28 in the UAE Dubai, representing our Congo Innovation Academy, as COP28 Presidency International Young Climate delegates. Our role was to raise the voices of young people in climate policy making. I must recall that prior to COP28, together with other 100 hundred Young Climate Delegates, we took part in the high level 5-month capacity building courses on Climate Policies and negotiation with the Harvard Kennedy School’ Negotiation and Conflict Resolution collaborative and the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change. The overall program was managed by the COP28 Appointed Youth Climate Champion, Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui, the UAE Minister of Community Development.
See what has been our main contribution:
- I took part in daily meetings that were happening within the disability caucus in COP28, together with other people of determination ( the better way of calling people with disability). The purpose of those meetings was to evaluate the level of the accessibility at COP28 and give recommendations for the improvement. We realized that COP28 was not totally inclusive, because there was not the sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairment. The organizers considered our remarks and they promised to improve.
- The Youth Climate Champion was the initiative of the COP28 President for prioritizing the youth agenda. Considering the importance and the impact of the program, YOUNGO, the Children and Youth Consultancy group under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, organized the consultation for the Institutionalization of the Youth Climate Change, which I was proud to be part of. The good news is that the YCC is now institutionalized under the name of the Presidency Youth Climate Champions;
- Organized a side event in the DRC Pavilion, on just transition. The theme was : “Is it possible to generate power totally by solar?” The DRC Ambassador of the UAE and the General Secretary of the Ministry of Environment attended the event.
- On the last day of COP28, I was one of the speakers at a side event dedicated to the outcomes of the climate week.
- As a COP28 observer, I also watched for the very first time Countries around the world approved by consensus on Wednesday at COP28 a text calling on countries around the world to "transition away from fossil fuels" with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050, in line with climate science.
Participating in COP made us realize that there is a huge need for capacity building of young people in our Country, DRC. That being said, we have put in place a program called Young Climate Innovators-YCI to provide young people with knowledge and resources to fight the climate crisis. The program has 3 components : Training youth on climate change, teaching them how to come up with the solutions and providing funding to the top best solutions. At the end of the program, young innovators will also also have the opportunities of talking with the leaders in the sector environment to express their needs regarding protecting the planet. Every year, the program will empower 100 young people to become climate innovators.