The Peaceland Foundation, granted consultative status by the United Nations, and Global Youth Philanthropy, committed to cultivating global youth philanthropic leaders, collaboratively convened the Global Youth Leaders Side Meeting on the theme of “Youth’s Role in Climate Crisis and Disaster Recovery” during the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) yesterday. Engaging youth leaders from diverse nations, the side meeting facilitated the exchange of insights garnered from academic research exploration and pioneering philanthropic practices within the realm of climate change. Furthermore, approximately a dozen young leaders from China, the United States, Canada, and other nations came together to declare a joint youth action initiative, inaugurating the “Youth Environmental Art Global United Exhibition.” Their collective plea encourages a broader audience of young individuals to artistically manifest their concerns regarding the repercussions and challenges of climate change while actively engaging in global climate change decision-making and subsequent actions.
The side meeting took place at the China Pavilion in the Blue Zone of the COP28 on December 6, 2023, from 1:00 to 2:45 pm. A diverse assembly of over a hundred youth representatives from China, the United States, Canada, and various other nations actively engaged in this event, both online and offline.
Professor Qiang Zhang, Director of the United Nations Development Programme and China Risk Governance Innovation Project Laboratory, attended the side meeting and delivered a speech on “Cultivating Future Dual-Carbon Talents, Actively Responding to Climate Crisis.” Mrs. Sherry Yuanyan Xie, the Founder of Global Youth Philanthropy, made a keynote speech on “Tackling the Climate Crisis: Global Youth in Action”. Xiaofeng Xu, President of China Meteorological Service Association attended the meeting too.
About a dozen distinguished global young leaders delivered speeches during the side meeting. Dominick Franklin Lombard, who represents Harvard University in the USA, focused on “Youth Along the Coast.” From Stanford University, Anushka Rawat addressed the audience on “Combatting Climate Change through Technology and Legislation.” Xin Chen, a speaker from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), presented a talk titled “Navigating Towards Carbon Neutrality: Fostering Collective Wisdom for a Sustainable Tomorrow.” Peter Ma, hailing from San Francisco, USA, gave the audience insights into “Redefining ESG: A Youth’s Vision for Climate-Aligned Investments.” Anfeng Xie, based in Concord, USA, delivered a thought-provoking talk on “Big or Small, Action is Paramount.” Representing Toronto, Canada, Alice Hu focused on “The Impact of Plastic Packaging on the Environment and Countermeasures.” As a representative for Shanghai, China, Hao Shen shared perspectives on “Going Green Isn’t Just a Game.” Hanxuan Wang, a delegate from Renmin University High School in China, presented findings on “The Impact of Climate Change on Food Production.” Silu Zhang, a China Youth Climate Action Network representative, explored the topic of “Discovering Climate Change in the Field with Youth.” Xuanting Wei, from the Youth Arctic Pioneer, provided insights into the endeavors of “Young Polar Pioneers.” The youth representatives gathered together, engaging in discussions on how, as emerging stewards of the Earth, they can actively contribute to addressing the formidable challenges our world confronts. They deliberated on innovative ideas and solutions to both mitigate and recover from the adverse effects of climate change and disasters while sharing their valuable insights and experiences. After the meeting, the youth representatives were interviewed by foreign television media.
Robin Jialiang Wang, a youth representative from Beijing Aidi School, hosted the ‘Youth Dialogue’ session. The youth representative, Hannah Yixuan He, from Beijing No. 11 School, issued the youth action initiative. Youth representatives including Summer Sun, a representative from Harvard University and a director of Global Youth Philanthropy; Ahilan Eraniyan, a representative from Duke University in the United States; Ryan Li, a representative from Canada; and Mayiyan Ma, a representative from China, actively responded online and offline to the initiative. Concurrently, they launched the “Art for Earth Youth Environmental Art Global United Exhibition”. Together, they issued a compelling call for increased involvement of young leaders in global climate change decision-making and planning processes. Additionally, they fervently urged support for the United Nations in expediting worldwide initiatives to address the pressing challenges posed by the climate crisis.
During the COP28 Global Youth Leaders Side Meeting, a captivating display unfolded as exemplary artworks from the “Art for Earth Environmental Art Intercity Exhibition” were showcased through compelling images and videos. These exceptional pieces were meticulously selected from a vast collection of youth environmental art exhibited across numerous countries. The artworks were developed through professional artistic techniques, including oil paintings, watercolor paintings, ink paintings, artistic installations and photography. Each piece served as a creative outlet, eloquently expressing the concerns of young people regarding the impacts and challenges posed by climate change, as well as the unwavering determination of the youth to actively participate in meaningful actions aimed at addressing the critical issues surrounding climate change.
With the steadfast support and guidance of Global Youth Philanthropy, a collaborative effort among young individuals from nine cities across China, the United States, and Canada brought forth the “Art for Earth Environmental Art Intercity Exhibitions” initiative. The initiative was dedicated to combining ecological discussions, artistic creation, cross-city exhibitions, and harnessing youth and international organizations’ collective influence in pursuit of creative solutions for various environmental crises. Commencing in September of this year, the exhibition has unfolded successfully in cities including Beijing and Qingdao in China, Vancouver and Toronto in Canada, and New York in the United States. It is set to continue its journey, reaching new horizons in Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen in China, and San Francisco in the United States over the next two months.
To embrace the grand opening of COP28 and illuminate the commitment and actions undertaken by global youth confronting climate change, Global Youth Philanthropy and Peaceland Foundation have orchestrated a sequence of global initiatives since August, including “Art for Earth Environmental Art Intercity Exhibition”, “Climate Change Academic Research Coaching Camp,” and “Climate Action Philanthropic Innovative Project Incubation”. These initiatives aim to identify outstanding young leaders, innovative climate action plans, and exemplary environmental artworks for the COP28 Youth Leaders Side Meeting. These initiatives have garnered widespread attention and participation from young people worldwide, fostering and encouraging more young people to engage in climate action to address the global challenges of climate change.
The UNFCCC Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP, is the preeminent decision-making body within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is responsible for setting the overall direction of the UNFCCC, negotiating and adopting new climate change agreements. The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Anticipated to draw participation from over 120 countries, the event is projected to host more than 90,000 attendees. Among the participants are member countries (or parties) of the UNFCCC, alongside prominent figures such as business leaders, youth representatives, climate scientists, indigenous communities, journalists, and various industry experts and stakeholders. Young people worldwide are also leveraging the COP28 conference platform to creatively and engagingly call on the public to pay attention to climate change, amplifying the powerful voices of the youth.
Visit https://gypcop.com/ for more information on the Global Youth Philanthropy and Peaceland Foundation’s participation in COP28.
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Country: China
Website: https://gypcop.com/
