Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Chair of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, stressed, on Friday in Dubai, the importance of investing in education, in the age of new technologies and artificial intelligence, to shape younger generations into global citizens, proactive in protecting their planet, insisting that all goodwill is needed to meet today’s challenges.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa made her plea during the first annual high-level meeting of the “Greening Education Partnership” initiative, organized by UNESCO and the UAE Ministry of Education as part of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28).
In her address at the opening of the meeting, Princess Lalla Hasna called for greater global solidarity, particularly from developed countries towards the developing world, at a time when the widespread adoption of new technologies widens the gap between North and South, not least in terms of access to data and artificial intelligence in education.
To offset such inequalities, Princess Lalla Hasnaa underlined the urgency of practical measures to simplify international funding procedures and improve access to resources to enable full inclusion.
She shared the Foundation’s practical, ongoing and productive action on Education for Sustainable Development through the programs it has run for 20 years, in partnership with the Ministry of National Education, Preschool Learning and Sports.
She likewise emphasized the Foundation’s actions to mobilize and unite Africa’s young people through its African Youth Climate Hub and African Green Universities and Youth Education Network initiatives. A host of network members from these initiatives joined the Foundation and its partners at COP 28 to convey the voice of the South.
Referring to the African Youth Climate Hub, Princess Lalla Hasnaa said that this Hub is now boasting more than 18,000 members from 9 countries across Africa, and that the first edition spawned 10 projects, now generating $500,000 in monthly revenue.
The leaders of these projects also sealed over 20 partnerships, creating 15 jobs in barely six months. The second call for projects, which closed on October 15, 2023, drew 245 project submissions.
Princess Lalla Hasnaa made an inspirational appeal to young people, calling on them to express their creativity and challenge inertia in protecting the planet from the effects of climate change and encouraged young people to draw on the wisdom of their elders, for inspiration in adjusting to present difficulties, and building a more sustainable future for all.