ABU DHABI, October 15 - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Arab Youth Center in Abu Dhabi announced the launch of the second edition of the "Arab Young Diplomatic Leaders Program" in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi Academy, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and Harvard University.
On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed that the United Arab Emirates would continue to invest in the potential of youth, enhancing their abilities to contribute to development efforts in the Arab region in a way that promotes stability and prosperity. He emphasized that emerging young talents would acquire advanced diplomatic skills, and their international representation in Arab and international institutes and academies would enhance the image of the Arab individual in various forums, contributing to the consolidation of humanitarian principles and the promotion of values of harmony and coexistence among different global populations.
The program's second edition includes a select group of young Arab diplomats working in diplomatic institutions from nine Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Oman, Morocco, and Kuwait.
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the Arab Youth Center, emphasized the importance of organizing this program concurrently with the United Arab Emirates hosting the "COP28" Conference of the Parties and the Center's contribution to the organization of the "COY18" Youth Climate Conference. The COY18 will focus on empowering young people in climate negotiation skills and the green economy, strengthening the involvement of young diplomats in efforts to address the consequences of climate change in global conferences and supporting young voices in the diplomatic field.
His Highness stated, "Young people are the most capable of changing the reality of climate action and confronting its consequences by conceiving creative solutions, adhering to human values, and encouraging institutions, individuals, and governments to make more efforts to protect the environment and ensure a better future for generations to come."
In his statement, His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the designated President of the COP28, expressed great appreciation for the leaders' vision and support in investing in the development of promising Emirati and Arab talents. He noted that launching innovative programs would empower and equip them with the necessary skills in strategic areas, enabling them to play an active role in their communities, countries, and building successful professional careers.
He added, "We commend the Arab Youth Center in Abu Dhabi for launching the second edition of the Arab Young Diplomatic Leaders Program. This pioneering initiative takes on great significance as the United Arab Emirates prepares to host the twenty-eighth session of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28). We strive to amplify the voices of the youth and involve them in shaping their future and climate action by integrating them into the conference's action plan and ensuring their participation in its activities to provide a sustainable and comprehensive model for the effective participation of youth in future party conferences."
His Excellency believed that the Arab Young Diplomatic Leaders Program would contribute to realizing the fundamental pillars of the conference's action plan. These pillars include accelerating the achievement of an organized, responsible, fair, and logical transition in the energy sector, developing climate financing mechanisms, focusing on protecting people and nature, improving livelihoods, and ensuring the inclusion of all.
In response, Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, responsible for the Food Systems portfolio at COP28, expressed confidence in the capacity of young diplomatic generations to contribute to strengthening the efforts of the Arab region in global climate action. She welcomed all efforts and partnerships aimed at empowering those working in international representation, providing them with the skills, expertise, and best practices that would strengthen their role in protecting the planet through specialized conferences and events and increasing the share and impact of strategic climate-related issues in the priorities of discussions and efforts of young Arab diplomats.
The Arab Youth Center's team has implemented local and international initiatives to train young Arab diplomats in combating climate change, forming multiple partnerships with relevant international organizations to improve the quality of life and environmental conditions while mitigating the severity of climate change.
The program benefits from strategic partnerships with Arab and international diplomatic think tanks to provide specialized and advanced content that equips Arab youth with the various skills required to professionalize diplomatic climate work.
The Arab Young Diplomatic Leaders Program includes training sessions, workshops, and meetings with experts in the field of diplomacy, focusing on future anticipation, intercultural communication, climate change and governance, negotiation and influence skills, integrative and distributive negotiation, and an in-depth review of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Advanced concepts in climate negotiation, multilateral negotiation, and advanced climate diplomacy will be covered.
Participants in this edition will grasp the fundamentals and modern trends of climate diplomacy, utilizing their potential for qualitative achievements in the field of diplomatic climate representation for Arab countries and offering them the opportunity to interact with decision-makers.
The second edition of the program aims to train emerging talents in the field of climate diplomacy among young Arabs aged 25 to 35 who hold a degree or diploma, are proficient in both Arabic and English, possess one to three years of experience in diplomatic work, and express a willingness to participate in the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), along with a letter of recommendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or competent authorities in their home countries.