The plight of Syrian refugees has been dominating news headlines for many months now. Every social media platform broadcasts haunting images of their sad fate, especially those of women and children, who inevitably suffer the most. Feeling sorry for them is no longer the solution, and it is imperative that each and every member of civil society takes steps to alleviate their suffering as they have every right to a life of dignity like all of us.

 

 

The youth organization, Green Hope Foundation, believes in turning words into action and we decided to bring smiles to the faces of Syrian refugee children living in camps in Lebanon close to the border. We wanted this New Year to be very special for these children and with the help of our members collected a large consignment of clothes, woolens, books, flasks, and toys. A five member Green Hope team flew to Lebanon in the first week of January with this consignment and visited camps housing the Syrian refugees. Green Hope works on Education for Sustainable Development, and we try and reach out to all sections of civil society with our message so that "no one is left behind" as we march towards sustainability. Our main objective was to engage and educate the Syrian refugee children on environmental conservation as we believe that every child has a right to education. Through our workshops and other activities we wanted to engage, educate and empower them so that they too become a part of the sustainable development process and start taking actions within their zones of influence.

 

 

Over a two day period, we conducted six environmental workshops with each workshop targeting a specific age group. Several hundred children ranging in age from 7 to 18 attended our workshops. This was their first exposure to conservation issues, and their enthusiasm was limitless. We educated them about global warming, the impacts of climate change, the UN Environment’s “Beat Pollution” campaign, the need to go “plastic free," how tree planting reduces the carbon footprint impact and the need to recycle and reuse so that they could reduce wastage in their camps and do “more with less”. Our workshops were extremely interactive, and we used music, songs, art, and quiz to communicate with the children. Each group painted their dreams of the future on white T-shirts that we gave them, and their ideas and expressions were truly amazing. After each activity we distributed prizes in the form of books, toys, flasks, woolens, and clothes that we had carried with us and their joyous smiles lit up the room. Since their camps are without electricity for most of the day, we also distributed solar rechargeable lamps which would enable them to study at night. After each activity, the children would break into an impromptu dance, and we joined in with them, sharing the moment. Despite being from different parts of the world, we became one thus proving the universal nature of humanity. After attending the workshops, the children said that they would organize a cleanup campaign in their camps once the rains stopped. They also planned to plant trees within their camps soon. All the attendees wrote down action pledges on handprint cutouts which they put up on a “tree of hope.”

 

 

Our efforts were only a drop in the ocean of their misery, but we left vindicated that we were able to bring momentary joy in the lives of a few hundred children. We also planted the seed of environmental action in their hearts, and some of them would take the cause of sustainability forward within their zones of influence. A dream of a sustainable world can become a reality only if all sections of civil society, especially the marginalized sections are involved, and Green Hope will continue to reach out to them and empower them so that together we get “The Future We Want.”

 

The inspiring slogan of the UN Climate Change conference CCOP23 “Uniting for Climate Action – Further Faster Together” still reverberates in my daily thoughts. The World Bank Group partnered with the Fijian Presidency, the German hosts and numerous partners to spread the message of unity, and the urgent need to increase ambition and action.

 

[video:https://youtu.be/5uPP0RAkytU]

The World Bank Group pavilion featured more than thirty Facebook live interviews under the Uniting4Climate message, see the full recordings here. Climate solutions were discussed by global leaders, media and influencers and the program featured World Bank Group related work on transport, energy, forests and landscapes, gender, cities, education and much more. Lord Nicholas Stern emphasized that climate action is fundamentally about “sustainable growth,” largely achieved through investments in climate-smart infrastructure with the participation of the private sector. 

 

 

On November 6, for the opening of COP23, Minister Inia Seruiratu of Fiji launched the pavilion program conversing with three Pacific Voices in Unison youth climate ambassadors from different Pacific nations. Minister Seruiratu, High-Level Climate Champion for COP23, emphasized that climate change affects all, not only the Pacific Islands, that “we are all in the same boat” with the aim of limiting warming to 1.5C degrees above pre-industrial levels. Key to climate action would be the leadership of young people as exemplified by the Pacific Voices in Unison, who shared their journeys of resilience in light of climate change with personal statements. 

 

 

Youth leadership was celebrated around COP23 under the slogan: Youth Uniting4Climate Action – Further Faster Together. The World Bank’s Connect4Climate program partnered on the Youth Climate Action Awards to highlight that today’s youth are already feeling the impacts of climate change and they are the generation energized to find opportunities in climate action and building a low-carbon resilient future. My message to the youth audience was simple: “As we heard over this conference that the climate is changing rapidly, but that is actually our generation’s biggest opportunity. We are in the midst of a radical ecological and economic transformation that will shape our future and we are a part of the solution.”

 

 

Climate action is set to be one of our greatest opportunities, with an estimated investment of US$ 90 trillion in new infrastructure needed by 2030, according to the New Climate Economy. Much climate action is already taking place, and solutions were presented and promoted throughout the conference. The Momentum for Change Awards highlighted projects already supporting the achievement of the Paris Agreement, and the Climate Summit for Local and Regional Leaders emphasized action at the local scale. 

 

 

COP23 emphasized the need for climate literacy to help train innovators and technology-developers for the green economy. James Close, Director of Climate Change, World Bank, highlighted: “We need to transform our society and our economy and we all have a role to play. Education gives us the opportunity to touch young minds and frame their thinking and problem-solving by giving them tools, evidence and data to come up with their own conclusions about what to do and how to do it.”

 

 

Numerous activities happening in parallel to COP23, such as Hack4Climate, Sustainable Innovation Forum, United for Efficiency and others, helped underline the need to connect, raise ambition, and support the advancement of solutions within everybody’s sphere of influence. This was also made clear to the public at the KlimaTour event hosted by the City of Bonn and at the Climate Planet exhibit promoted under the #Uniting4Climate hashtag.

 

 

Not only did we connect with audiences in Bonn, we also brought the voices and culture of Fiji to COP23 with two Fiji Live to COP23: Uniting for Climate Action broadcasts on the COP23 Facebook page during the high-level days, November 15 and 16. As a historical first the live shows were shown on all screens across the COP venues, including in the Plenary, and were watched more than 100,000 times. Hosted by Fiji’s Youth Climate Ambassador and Miss Pacific Islands, Anne Dunn, and featuring a special address by the Fijian President, George Konrote, the shows underscored the urgent need for the negotiations to support ambitious climate action. 

 

 

Having felt the energy and vigor behind the “Uniting for Climate Action – Further Faster Together” slogan I repeat the words of Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama: “We don’t need to fear the future if we have courage to act now.” 

 

[video:https://youtu.be/iunmeGzQCtY]

The world has embarked on an unstoppable movement to building a low-carbon resilient future, supported by all sectors of society, across all parts of the globe. Act now, uniting for climate action to protect our one planet!