Doha, Qatar: Panellists at the first Local Conferences of Youth (LCOY) to be held in Qatar have urged more climate awareness and linking policies to action as part of efforts to ensure climate change and sustainable practices are adopted in Qatar and the region. The two-day event concluded on Friday.
The LCOY, hosted by the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCM-Q) at Bin Jelmood House, Msheireb, gathered scholars, academia, diplomats, United Nations officials, sustainability and climate change experts, and students from academic institutions in Qatar.
The LCOY is an official event of YOUNGO, the children and youth constituency, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ahead of the COP discussions.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the first ever ‘Local Conference of Youth’ in Qatar endorsed by YOUNGO. The focuses on six main themes within sustainability, including climate policies and governance, climate realities in the Arab world and global responsibility, green jobs and economy, managing plastic and food waste, climate innovation and entrepreneurship, local communities and local action,” Co-Founder of AYCM, Hessa Al Noaimi said.
She added that the conference would share knowledge and know-how across the community to support Qatar’s endeavour to tackle the many issues linked to climate change.
“We ensured to provide a platform for the many passionate individuals in the sustainability sector in Qatar to share their experiences, challenges and successes and promote their work. We continue to strive to nurture an educated, collaborative and action-driven community in Qatar that works effectively to address this global concern,” she added.
During a panel session on ‘Climate Policies and Governance for Effective Climate Action,’ panellists highlighted the gap between policies and implementation and implored policymakers to propose and implement realistic regional strategies.
Dr. Laurent Lambert, a Doha Institute for Graduate Studies professor, said climate governance is about understanding the direct issues and threats to the durability of cities.
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He also noted that the region has made progress in climate change awareness and conversations in the last 15 years because the Gulf states now understand that they are on the frontline of this crisis. Raha Hakimdavar — a senior advisor to the Dean of Georgetown University Earth Commons and the Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar in the areas of climate, environment, and innovation — emphasised the importance of using technology and satellite data in creating policies. She said agriculture and energy can facilitate sustainability via food security and renewables.
Meanwhile, Haajerah Khan, Managing Director at Strategy Hub, said Qatar has the tools to meet its climate change strategy but stressed building and working with local actors to produce solutions for Qatar. She said the country’s sustainability roadmap enables broad contribution to climate change actions.
Organisers also held workshops on Carbon Footprint and Behavior changes for Climate Action, Skills for Green Jobs, Youth and Sport for Climate Action, Plastic Recycling, and Food Waste Reduction and Recycling as part of the LCOY.
