- by Zohar (Israel) and Ximena (Argentina)
*Follow Zohar's live updates on Instagram: @zohar.afek
*Follow Ximena's live updates on Instagram: @ximenamiche
*Follow YCL's live updates on Instagram: @YouthClimateLeaders
Monday (23.7.18)
It was our first day of meetings! We visited UNEP and OECD, two international organisations which work on climate change and address it in different ways. Our morning began at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where we met with the Economic department and talked about the 10 YFP, the CTCN Mission and the challenges in the energy sector. Later in the day we met with Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), who presented the organisation, their member countries, the Climate Change Expert Group (CCXP) and their department of Green Finance and Investment. It was a very enriching day, when each of the Climate Leaders met with these two organisations and talked openly about issues such as climate finance and sustainable consumption..
Tuesday (24.7.18)
It was exciting, as we had the first Youth Climate Leaders seminar at the Columbia Global Center in Paris. The seminar was open to the public and was also streamed online. Our host Loren Wolfe greeted us and the morning session was opened. Youth Climate Leader's Founder and CEO Cassia Moraes introduced the program, how it came into being and what is planned for the coming weeks. She was followed by Lola Vallejo, from Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI), a think-tank based in Paris which operates four programs, one of which is climate. Lola gave a presentation about climate finance and answered questions from the audience.
In the afternoon, which was focused on climate justice, we heard Dr. Caroline Zickgraf’s presentation about the nexus of climate change and migration. Again, there was time for questions, followed by the program’s Partnerships Director, Flávia Bellaguarda, who introduced the issue of climate justice. She explained how climate change is a social issue which affects people’s ability to enjoy human rights and presented the main principles of climate justice. Marcos Szrajer told us about the organisation in which he works, Stop Hunger, which operates several programs to prevent food waste and hunger, raising public awareness to hunger issues. We ended the day with a panel of questions with Flávia and Marcos, chaired by Youth Climate Leader Milla Vaha.
We felt that the seminar was a success, learned about the different matters which were presented, and interacted with local entrepreneurs and people who study or work in the field of climate change.
The evening ended with a farewell party on the bank of the Seine for Gisela Provasi, a participant who is leaving sooner to start a new job in London.
We are looking forward to continue sharing the rest of our journey with you all!
