On 4 May 2021, the Asia–Europe Foundation (ASEF) in cooperation with the College of Europe in Natolin conducted the last online thematic session in the knowledge building phase of the 4th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (4th ASEFYL), which focused on the Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action).
The session was conducted by Dr Youssef NASSEF, Director of Adaptation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Dr NASSEF has more than 30 years of experience in the field of international environmental policy. His presentation offered an overview of the international policy-making process on climate change and how the sense of urgency gave rise to recent youth activism. Dr NASSEF also covered the intergenerational equity as a core driving principle for youth engagement.
Previously, participants could benefit from several other online thematic sessions by distinguished UN senior staff members who covered the following areas:
- SDG3 (Good Health & Wellbeing) by Dr Paloma CUCHÍ, Representative of WHO to the Republic of Poland;
- SDG4 (Quality Education) by Dr Wesley TETER, Senior Consultant for Educational Innovation at the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau, UNESCO;
- SDG8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth) by Ms Tanja PACIFICO, Head of the International Migration Organization, Uruguay.
All of these online sessions aimed at building blocks of knowledge in order to equip the participants with the necessary understanding to be able to engage actively in the other components of the 4th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (4th ASEFYL).