Reem AlAwadhi, ZU BA Alumni of 2022 from College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) with First Honor Degree, majored in International Studies with Concentrations in Political Economy and Development and is an alumna of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Scholars Program at New York University Abu Dhabi #Proud_ZUAlumni
Reem AlAwadhi is an Emirati researcher and writer based in Dubai. She currently works as a Research Analyst at the Executive Office, and is completing her Junior Fellowship Program at the European Institute for Policy Research and Human Rights, measuring domestic climate change awareness amongst youth in the UAE.
Global perceptions of the Gulf before and after the oil-boom, maintaining derogatory connotations around Gulf wealth.
AlAwadhi shares her experience in COP28:
On Wednesday, the 6th of December 2023, as part of their spearheading participation in COP28, the UAE Ministry of Education had organized the session: Educating Youth in Climate Diplomacy. Held in the Green Education Hub, the session featured up-and-coming Emirati youth in a specialized panel discussion aimed at acknowledging the pivotal role of youth in crafting the future of environmental sustainability. By dedicating a hub for education, the UAE has succeeded at placing education as a priority in the COP28 agenda – the first ever occurrence in the history of the United Nations conference. H.E. Amna AlDahak, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Activities Sector in the Ministry of Education delivered the keynote speech, highlighting the connecting role that the UAE has continued to play throughout its history.
Reem AlAwadhi, international studies graduate from Zayed University, had served as a panelist in the session, sharing her insights on opportunities for policymakers and institutions to collaborate with young leaders to enhance climate education for youth, as well as the potential barriers in educating youth for climate diplomacy. In her contributions, Reem had put forth excellent insights about how the UAE has been envisioning and planning for the end of its oil trade, stating in her introduction: “In 2015, our president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had asked hundreds of youths as part of his speech, in 50 years, when we might export the last barrel of oil, will we be sad? His answer was not only no, but he said we would be celebrating that moment”. Reem had placed a large emphasis on the future-oriented successful direction of the UAE’s leadership, clarifying that the proactive government response to the future of the green energy transition has been in motion for at least 30 years, primarily through diversifying economic revenues and investing in sustainable practices and technologies.
As for enhancing climate education for youth, in collaboration with policymakers and institutions, Reem had acknowledged the expanding platform that has been actively pursued by youth in matters of climate change, but called for increased participation in policymaking. She further stated: “Currently, I do not feel like youth climate campaigns on a global scale are being equally reflected in tangible policies, especially in areas that impact economies. We have already passed the point of advocating for climate campaigning, we must enable climate action, especially at a policy-making level”. The UAE Ministry of Education has sought to enhance youth contribution to climate change by coordinating the “Diplomacy Gamechangers Program” in collaboration with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, which shed light on climate diplomacy and humanitarian diplomacy, and trained the students on valuable skills relevant to COP28, including negotiation and diplomatic protocol. The challenges in educating youth on climate change are many, but Reem focused on the dissonance regarding the holistic versus the domestic understandings of climate change, especially among youth in the UAE. Reem adds, “The UAE is situated in a region that is highly vulnerable to the effects of worsening climate change, but we need to educate youth on how exactly that damage manifests. It needs to feel real, because it is”.
In her concluding message, Reem says: “I would like to thank my fellow panelists for their valuable contributions, and the MoE organizers for all their efforts in setting such a rich agenda for the Greening Education Hub at COP28, and for including us, the youth, at every level. I was very proud to see current students joining me on stage, including Roudha AlYassi, a Senior in International Relations at Zayed University, Mayed AlZaabi, a Political Science and International Relations Student at United Arab Emirates University, and Ahmed Waqqas, a highschool student who also works as a Journalist at Khaleej Times. We also had an excellent MC, Hamid Al Bastaki, a Systems and Management Engineering major at Khalifa University”.
To know more about Reem, please click here to visit her LinkedIn page
