By: Tareq Hassan

From the 6th to the 18th of November 2022, the 27th Conference of the Parties (CoP), which is the official meeting of parties involved in the United Nations Climate Change Framework, took place in Sharm Al Shaikh (Egypt). CoP27 brought together 196 country leaders to assess the progress in responding to climate change. The conference had several goals: The first is Mitigation, which refers to how countries work to reduce their carbon emissions; the second is adapting to climate change and helping others to do so; and finally, to support climate financing, particularly loss and damage for countries greatly impacted by climate change.

The participation of Arab youth at COP27 was considered limited, which was reflected in their minor role in negotiations and other events during the conference. This limited presence can be referred to as the lack of governmental support for the youth, which is hard for them to cover their expenses. However, the participation and presence of Arab youth during the Conference of Youth (COY17), which took place before the start of the COP27 climate conference, was more effective and remarkable as over 80 Arab youth participated, as well as Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports.

On the other hand, youth organisations, networks, and civil society played a pivotal role in supporting the participation of Arab youth in the CoP27.

For example, the Arab Youth Sustainable Development Network (YSDN) supported youth participating in the conference by funding their travel and organizing events that engaged youth. For example, YSDN organized the "The Role of Arab Youth in Climate Action" where Youth from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Morocco were panellists and had a great interaction with all participants. The speakers talked about their influential role in climate action, particularly their previous experiences in mobilising and supporting the participation of Arab youth. They emphasised the challenges confronting Arab youth, such as neglect and lack of inclusion of youth. Moreover, there was great emphasis on the necessity of activating the role of civil society institutions and youth in their societies.

The speakers called upon Arab countries and the Arab League to take advantage of the opportunity of the next CoP that will be hosted in the United Arab Emirates to support and empower youth to play leadership roles and support them as climate negotiators. Moreover, involve them in the negotiations and meetings of the Arab group that occur daily during the climate conference.

In a separate event, there was another meeting with Her Excellency Mrs Shamma Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Youth Affairs – the United Arab Emirates (UAE); during this meeting, youth (Arab among others) urged the UAE to support the participation of Arab youth in the next conference. Her Excellency stated that the UAE would work to support Arab youth to have a more significant role at the COP28 Climate Conference.

Personal Reflections

As an expert and participant in climate conferences, I can say that there is a significant lack of participation among Arab youth in the COP negotiations compared to other regions of the world. On average, 10-30 youth from the MENA region attended previous COPs, except COP18 and COP22, which were held in Qatar and Morocco, respectively.

There are many reasons for the lack of participation and involvement of Arab youth in the international climate arena, such as lack of financial support, lack of advocacy and awareness of the importance of climate change among Arab youth, lack of youth participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation programs at the national level, as well as low rates of unemployment and the high rates of conflict, which forces regional youth to focus on their daily needs rather than combating climate change.

As the Middle East and North Africa region will experience devastating climate impacts that could exacerbate existing tensions, it is necessary to work with youth to get them prepared and engaged. Furthermore, support Arab youth organizations to help them advocate for climate change in the Arab world and support Arab youth by participating and playing an actual role in the next climate conference that will be held in the region.

About the writer:

Tareq Hassan is a Senior Professional with more than nine years of experience in Humanitarian, Development, Environment and Climate Change projects. Tareq is the founder and Head of the Arab Youth Sustainable Development Network (AYSDN). Between (2015- June 2022) He served as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Facilitator for Major Groups and Stakeholders (MGS) for the West Asia Region. On 1st December 2020, Tareq was appointed as Relations and Communication Manager for the Climate Action Network Arab World (CANAW). From 2012 – 2020, he worked as the Chairman of the International Youth Council -Yemen (IYCY).