The COP28 Presidency has hosted a Youth Ambition Majlis on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the UAE Consulate in New York.

The Majlis is a dedicated event for youth that aims to engage and empower youth participation and provide young people with a platform to share their ideas, ambitions, and aspirations ahead of COP28.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President-Designate, and Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Development and the Youth Climate Champion for COP28, attended the Majlis and met with more than 30 youth representatives from around the world to discuss the key deliverables for youth at COP28 and learn more from those in attendance.

Other guests at the event included Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Alliances for Global Sustainability, who also took part in the discussion. The Youth Ambition Majlis is aligned with one of the key pillars of COP28 – mobilising for full inclusivity – and is designed to help empower youth climate action and connect youth groups with the COP process.

During the Majlis (an Arabic term for gathering), Dr. Al Jaber highlighted that the creativity, ideas, passion and determination of young people will be critical towards ensuring that COP28 achieves ambitious outcomes that benefit future generations and how events such as the Majlis provide youth with the opportunity to share their ideas, ambitions, and aspirations ahead of COP28.

Shamma Al Mazrui addressed questions raised by youth regarding their participation at COP28 and reiterated the presidency’s commitment towards strengthening the participation of youth in climate processes, formal policymaking and decision-making in climate conferences and meetings.

During the Majlis, Shamma said, “For the first time in the history of COPs, we will have a dedicated day for Youth, Children, Education and Skills, in addition to a designated youth space in both the green and blue zones. At COP28, we are disrupting the status quo, delivering on commitments and introducing new solutions and innovations by tapping into the unlimited potential of youth.”

Throughout the Majlis, climate leaders and youth debated on how the Climate Ambition Summit can lead towards success at COP28, including how to achieve key COP28 deliverables for youth, how the agenda of the new UN Youth Office will connect with the COP process, and progress on key COP28 work around youth engagement.

The Majlis follows the launch by the COP28 Presidency earlier this year of the International Youth Climate Delegate Program. Elevating the voices, perspectives, and priorities of the global youth in the multilateral COP process, the International YCDP will select 100 youth delegates, primarily from least developed countries (LDC) and small island developing states (SIDS), to participate in climate negotiations and related public-private partnership initiatives.