Dubai – UAE – Empowering Futures: Youth Engagement and Sustainability is a theme of the side event focused on the barriers and opportunities for environmental education and youth engagement in Central Asia.
The open session took place in the COP28 CA Pavilion on December 8, 2023 and convened ecological educators and youth from Central Asia and beyond.
The participants exchange experience on successful national youth programs. Reportedly, the objective of this session is to promote international support for Green University.
As of 2020, the combined population of the four Central Asian countries stood at 68.46 million, with 16.55 million being youths, comprising 24.1% of the total population. This demographic presents a valuable opportunity for Central Asia and the global community, provided there is enough support for educational and youth-focused programs.
In Uzbekistan, the lack of emphasis on ecological education in primary school limits the groundwork for higher education in this area. Additionally, for young people choosing career paths there are concerns about job prospects after earning ecological degrees.
Despite growth in these green sectors, the shortage of regional experts to educate and mentor young people in this field perpetuates a cycle of insufficient environmental expertise. In response to these issues Uzbekistan has established the Green University which will be a regional hub for environmental research and education.
Video recording - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYjhVGnE2VM