• Corporate philanthropy

Harnessing young people's contribution to the fight against climate change at the COP23

Sylvain Taboni
Sylvain Taboni
Environment Programme Officer

16 November 2017, Bonn (Germany). A few hours before the closing of the COP23 climate change summit, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Television for the Environment and the BNP Paribas Foundation awarded two young people for their dedication to fighting climate change.

Engaging accounts 

The two young people from India and Morocco were named the winners of the Global Youth Video Competition for their films on how they are tackling climate change.

Turning Green: Younes Lamsaoui, a young teacher in Morocco, devotes part of his classroom time to teaching his students about his home town Marrakesh’s ecological transition and how they can be part of it by minimising the city’s ecological footprint. 

« Turning Green » by Younes Lamsaoui, winner of the category "Climate Friendly and Resilient Cities".

Let Mangroves Recover: Adarsh Prathap, a young Indian from Kerala, chose to focus his short documentary on mangroves and how preserving these ecosystems protects the lives of thousands of people. Mangroves are natural barriers for coastal areas and home to species that form part of the livelihood of local populations. But urbanisation and intensive aquaculture has put mangroves under threat.

« Let Mangroves Recover » by Adarsh Prathap, winner of the category "Oceans and Climate Change".

The Global Youth Video Competition on climate change

For the first time, the BNP Paribas Foundation joined forced with the international video contest that aims to showcase young people’s contribution to combating climate change and inspire civil society to do the same. Some 250 young people between 18 and 30 years old in 94 countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, submitted their video entries in one of two categories: developing cities that a resilient to climate impacts, and demonstrating the link between oceans and the climate.  The two winners were invited to Bonn to sit in on the COP23 negotiations and related events. For two weeks, they acted as journalists for the UNFCCC.

The Global Youth Video Competition in numbers

247

 videos produced

94

 countries represented

2

categories

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