DEADLINE CLOSED
Rome MED Mediterranean Dialogues 2022 is proud to announce its first edition of the “Youth Forum – Youth Policy Lab for Climate Action”, promoted by ISPI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and implemented in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in Italy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and the UNIDO ITPO Italy – Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office of UNIDO. This year, building on the lessons learned from past editions, the Youth Forum will take on an entirely new format to provide the region’s youth with an opportunity to strengthen and further develop climate change policies and practices in the broader Mediterranean.
THEMATIC FOCUS
Climate insecurity has become a growing challenge on both sides of the Mediterranean. Adverse effects of climate change have increased the frequency of extreme weather and higher temperatures, with far-reaching impacts on all sectors of local societies and their economies. Nowadays, half of the Middle East and North African population lives under water-stress conditions; a burden equally shared with most of Europe’s Mediterranean countries. Likewise, the war in Ukraine has put many countries heavily reliant on food imports under pressure, especially those that host a high number of refugees. These challenges, paired with the expected population growth over the following decades, put the security of many Mediterranean countries’ social systems under further pressure.
While many phenomena have traditionally been common in the region, the worsening of climate instability and the absence of appropriate policies may make them more durable and extreme. In this context, efforts to globally reduce the impact of climate change need to go hand in hand with attempts to strengthen and integrate the resilience of countries in the broader Mediterranean that are most vulnerable to its effects. So, how will new generations in the region answer to tackle the most significant challenges the world is facing?
Called “Youth Policy Lab for Climate Action”, this year’s Youth Forum will examine the potential of Mediterranean cooperation in the fields of climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience. By gathering young leaders from both shores of the Mediterranean, this call aims to promote innovative policy proposals and solutions to limit the region’s impact on global warming and accelerate adaptation to climate effects. Participants will have the opportunity to propose, discuss and exchange ideas with policymakers, researchers, think-tankers, academics, and representatives of civil society and private sectors on critical issues in the Mediterranean area, contributing to policy shaping solutions for the region.
Intending to exemplify the goals set by the recent United Nations climate change conferences in the United Kingdom and Egypt, each paper must propose solutions relevant to the broader Mediterranean region in one of the following two objectives:
- Climate Mitigation
- Climate Adaptation
This initiative will run from July to the 2022 Rome MED Mediterranean Dialogues in early December. The call for policy briefs was closed on October the 15th. According to specific evaluation criteria, a jury of experts will select the most relevant policy briefs by the end of October. Successful proposals will then be presented during the Youth Forum at the Rome MED Conference (scheduled from December the 1st to the 3rd). The Forum will provide attendees with a platform to present and discuss their policy proposals in an active workshop. The best policy recommendations at the policy level on climate adaptation and mitigation in the region will then provide the basis for the draft of a dedicated “Youth Program for Climate Action in the Mediterranean”. Two representatives (one for each category) will then present the results of this graphic at the dedicated Youth Panel that will be held the following day at the Rome MED Conference. The “Youth Agenda for Climate Action in the Mediterranean” will also be published on the Youth Forum’s website and social networks to further raise awareness and inspire courageous actions in the following years.
In collaboration with
