COP28 UAE
YOUTH CLIMATE CHAMPION

The Youth Climate Champion (YCC), is uniquely positioned to serve as the missing bridge between the COP Presidency and youth stakeholders, as well as streamlining youth coordination between governments, and UNFCCC.

The YCC will be responsible for mainstreaming youth participation and voice in the COP28 process and mobilizing substantive youth policy input and outcomes.​

The YCC role aims to amplify all voices under the age of 35, with a special emphasis on youth from most vulnerable communities such as indigenous peoples, those with disabilities, and communities at highest risk​.

COP28 Youth Climate Champion

“The Youth Climate Champion role is designed to amplify the work of youth-led and youth-focused organizations within the COP process. H.E. Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development, is the first-ever Youth Climate Champion with a Ministerial role. She will be responsible for engaging with youth globally in the lead-up to, and during, COP28 UAE. This will include working with local and global stakeholders to provide capacity-building opportunities for youth, as well as mechanisms to fund youth innovations in the field. H.E. Al Mazrui is also the Secretary General of the Education and Human Resources Council, Chairperson for Special Olympics UAE, and President of the National Center for Education Quality and the President of the board of trustees of Zayed University.

H.E Shamma Al Mazrui

History of the Role​

Building on the foundations of the COP27 Youth Envoy, the UAE created the role of the Youth Climate Champion​

YCC Strategy “PAVE”​

YCC'S KEY
INITIATIVES


YCC in International Events (To date)​

ECOSOC Youth Forum​

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum which is a key platform where young people can contribute to policy discussions at the United Nations through their collective ideas, solutions and innovations. ​


  • YCC team co-organized “Harnessing the Power of Youth Climate Action” side event with UNDP with 70+ climate action leaders attending. ​
  • YCC team ran consultations with over 30 young global climate leaders.​
  • YCC team held a Networking Reception including 100+ participants.​

LDC 5 Conference​

The Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries aimed to accelerate sustainable development and tap the full potential of the Least Developed Countries on the road to prosperity.​

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  • YCC team held consultations with the official LDC5 youth delegates to gather the needs and priorities on climate change of youth from LDCs.​ ​
  • Plans for the International Youth Climate Delegate Program (IYCDP) were announced, and brainstorming held on how the program could best deliver for youth from most affected countries.​​

Petersberg Climate Dialogue ​

The Petersberg Climate Dialogue was launched in 2010 by former German Chancellor Merkel and brings together selected states on an annual basis to prepare the ground for successful negotiations at the COP climate change conferences. ​​

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  • 3 UAE Youth Delegates actively participated in several activations throughout the event.​​
  • YCC team held a youth consultation with 20+ youth participants. ​​​

SB58 Bonn Climate Conference

The SB58 Bonn Climate Conference saw engagement from different local & international delegates, including local, and featured the inaugural "Youth Stocktake Event" organized by YCC.​​

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  • 10 local and international delegates participated. ​
  • YCC lead the first “Youth Stocktake Event” assessing opportunities and challenges for youth inclusion within the UNFCCC. ​ ​​​
  • Announcing the selection of 100 IYCDP delegates. ​ ​ ​​​