● Al-Mashat: Youth are among the groups most affected by climate change and have a vital role in confronting it through volunteer work and entrepreneurship.
● Egypt is working to implement the “Shabab Balad” initiative through training, employment, education, skills acquisition, digital transformation, and positive participation.
● Al-Mashat holds a bilateral meeting with Dr. Kevin Frey, CEO of the GenU initiative, to follow up on the implementation of the initiative in Egypt in cooperation with the concerned parties.
The Ministry of International Cooperation, the United Nations’ Generation Unlimited (GenU) initiative, participated in launching the Green Rising Program, which aims to empower 10 million youth, develop their skills, and enhance their participation in volunteer work to promote green growth and encourage job opportunities and entrepreneurship, through a partnership between the government and private sectors over the next three years until 2025.
This came during COP28 in the United Arab Emirates in the presence of the Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, the Indian Minister of Labour, Employment and Environment, Shri Bhupender Yadav, and CEO of the United Nations initiative GenU, Dr. Kevin Frey, and other officials from international entities and private sector officials.
In her speech, Al-Mashat explained that the launch of the “Green Rising” initiative with the participation of many concerned parties from development partners, the private sector and governments, reflects the importance of joint action to enhance climate action, and the importance of empowering youth as they are key elements in combating climate change. Climate change and creating a better environment.
Al-Mashat pointed to the negative effects of climate change that affect our world today, whether directly or indirectly, and in all sectors. H.E. stressed that climate changes do not affect all groups equally, and that international studies indicate that youth and women are among the groups most greatly affected by these changes.
H.E. pointed out that youth, although affected by climate change, are also contributors to the fight against climate action, as agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators, whether through education, science or technology, and young people are intensifying their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate action.
Al-Mashat continued, "In light of these challenges, the GenU initiative is considered an important international platform that brings together all concerned parties, whether governments, development partners, the private sector, or civil society, to empower youth, engaging them in climate action, and enhancing efforts to exchange experiences and knowledge regarding climate change is consistent with strategic priorities and initiatives.”
H.E. praised the efforts made by the UNICEF team and the GenU initiative to launch the Green Growth Program, hoping that the program will influence local communities around the world and empower millions of young people to confront the climate crisis through the three pillars of the program, which are volunteer work, advocacy, skills, employment and entrepreneurship.
Al-MAshat stated that the Government of Egypt firmly believes in the importance of involving and empowering youth in climate action, and therefore, in cooperation with the United Nations, it launched the Egyptian version of GenU under the name “Shabab Balad,” which works to empower youth through 5 axes; training and employment, education, skills acquisition, digital transformation, and positive participation.
In a related context, Al-Mashat held a bilateral meeting with Frey to discuss his visit to Egypt last week, to follow up on the implementation of the Shabab Balad initiative, and the decisions that resulted from the second meeting of the initiative’s advisory council, held recently at the Ministry of International Cooperation, to launch the Shabab Balad Initiative Academy, which promotes training, skills acquisition, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities, as well as the five working groups concerned with the goals of the initiative.
Earlier this year, the Advisory Board of the United Nations’ international initiative in Egypt, “Shabab Balad,” held its 2nd meeting, headed by Al-Mashat, and Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, to discuss several topics. The most important of which is Forming the initiative’s executive alliance and working groups, approving the mechanisms used in Shabab Balad and some of the main programs proposed for the initiative that aim to help young people move from the learning stage to the work and earning stage.
It is worth noting that the Shabab Balad initiative is the Egyptian version of the United Nations Generation Unlimited” initiative, which it launched in more than 54 countries around the world, to support young people and empower them in the fields of education, employment, entrepreneurship and social participation. It aspires to be a sustainable national platform for multilateral partners working together, to ensure that all youth in Egypt between the ages of 10 and 24 are either enrolled in education, have sufficient employable skills, or have entrepreneurial opportunities, and participate positively in society by 2030.