• Striving to enhance negotiation skills of Arab youth in the field of climate change and sustainability

Abu Dhabi: The Arab Youth Center, in cooperation with the European Union Delegation to the United Arab Emirates, announced the opening of applications to join the ‘Skills Bootcamp for Non-Experts’ (SBNE). This initiative is created with the aim to help Arab youth enhance their skills in the art of professional negotiation, with a focus on climate change and sustainability ahead of COP28 in Dubai this year.

The camp will be hosted at the Arab Youth Center headquarters in Abu Dhabi, from May 30th until June 1st, and will include over 30 participants.

The camp comes under the umbrella of the ‘Young Arab Diplomatic Leaders’ program, which enables Arab youth leadership in the field of diplomacy, and strives to hone Arab youth skills in professional negotiation, qualifying these individuals to gain experience and knowledge that facilitate active participation in international discussions and negotiations. SBNE additionally seeks to highlight and represent the Arab community in the field of climate change.

His Excellency Andrea Matteo Fontana, Ambassador of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates, said: "We are pleased to partner with the Arab Youth Center on this initiative to upskill Arab youth in professional negotiation and empower them to participate actively in international discussions, especially in the field of climate change. The 'Skills Bootcamp for Non-Experts' initiative contributes to the UAE objective of ensuring that young people's perspectives are at the heart of global policymaking on climate change and aligns with the EU's aims to empower youth and foster  people-to-people relations with the Gulf."

Haya Aseer, Project Manager of the Arab Youth Diplomatic Leaders Program, said: "By engaging the Arab youth population, our camp seeks to build necessary skill sets ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), hosted by the United Arab Emirates from November 30th till December 12th. The camp directly benefits from the vision adopted by COP28 to empower Arab youth and amplify their participation in issues of common humanitarian concern, by building their capacities in the field of policies and negotiations, specifically with regard to climate change - the theme of the conference."

The camp incorporates training and educational workshops implemented by reputable institutions with a proven track record in the field. Additionally, the camp conducts an interactive simulation of negotiations enabling young participants to apply their new knowledge and experience gained during training.

Conditions of Participation:

Participation requires that the applicant be a young Arab between the ages of 18 and 35 years and have a keen interest or achievements in addressing the challenge of climate change. Those interested may register by visiting the Arab Youth Center's official social media platforms and digital channels.

Bootcamp Objectives:

The objectives of the bootcamp include raising awareness of climate change issues as well as the importance of evolving climate action across the board. This includes increasing interest in annual COP conferences, as well as raising awareness about the role of individuals, civil society, and economic and political actors in supporting climate action. Through highly informative interactive simulation activities, young participants will acquire advanced skills and knowledge of negotiation, pluralism and coalition building techniques.