Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer addresses the role of youth in tackling challenges at COP27

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), underlined the organisation’s effective discussions on involving youth in driving sustainable solutions targeted at combating regional challenges, as well as developing their skills and knowledge, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), that was held from November 6 to 18, 2022, at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The session on youth and their contributions to the society, which was co-hosted by WGEO and HSBC at COP27, included several multi-stakeholder dialogues discussing the significance of empowering the next generation to create solutions for communities and thereby contribute to a sustainable future.

In his opening remarks that was attended by many dignitaries, HE Saeed Al Tayer recognised the success of the ‘Tatawwar’ programme, implemented by HSBC and Potential.com, which improved the lives of many young people in the MENA region. He praised the initiative for its capacity to provide young adults with access to knowledge, tools, and a path that will enable them to shift focus away from job seeking to job creation and build a more resilient future.

“Tatawwar (the imperative form of the verb ‘to develop’), accurately describes what the program has accomplished. Thanks to this initiative, youth have access to information, resources, and a pathway that will help them create a more resilient future by changing their perspective from one of job seekers to job creators, ” said Al Tayer.

“We are living at crossroads where the transition from education to work has become more prolonged and unpredictable. In fact, due to different and successive crises, many young people find themselves neither in employment nor in education and training. Therefore, it is our responsibility to equip our younger generation with entrepreneurship skills that will not only enable them to fulfil their ambitions but also foster a green way of development. Entrepreneurs and businesses will play an important role in striking a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, ensuring that everyone can access the opportunities of the green economy and build resilient communities. And platforms like "Tatawwar program" not only allow youngsters to acquire such entrepreneurial abilities but also create an optimism, they need to establish a future in a way that resonates with their ambitions and purpose. This is significant as it is our younger generations that will be the decision makers and drivers of economies in the future,” Al Tayer added.

“We feel that the MENA region has strong potential to provide significant solutions that will help many countries mitigate and adapt to climate change without compromising on their pace of development in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. But for this, the young generation from the region will have to play a significant role not just as the future policy makers but entrepreneurs, who can generate solutions to the energy challenges and spur innovation. We at WGEO, are dedicated to facilitating the transition to a green economy on a global scale, but this will require cooperation and partnerships from all of us, particularly our younger generation,” Al Tayer said.

“As we look forward to creating a better future for us and our next generations, I would like to welcome global leaders and young people to be a part of this journey and promote successful green economic solutions that address today's economic and environmental needs, including achieving net-zero targets,” Al Tayer concluded