Climate change waits for nobody!

Often times we hear this phrase mentioned in several occasions and platforms from various climate activists and specialists, this is why discussions and active decisions as well as engagement in climate-related areas and participation is crucial at this point.
Events such as the regional climate weeks and Conference Of the Parties (COP) or any other climate events are not only important from a climate advocacy standpoint but also important to bring together multiple stakeholders in the region, to discuss, knowledge share and exchange ways of climate adaptation and mitigation measures.

Our team at SUDTT was happy to be part of the last MENA climate week which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 8th October till the 12th. Our team experienced an insightful and engaging week participating in multiple sessions that the Mena Climate Week offered and networking with many participants coming from multiple backgrounds.

The two highlights of the week were, firstly, the side event which SUDTT co-organized with partners on early warning systems, our very own program Director and Acting CEO Maysoon Badi presented on the importance of thinking outside of the box specially within the current context of Sudan, and why is it now more important than ever to put vulnerable communities who are at risk of climate change a priority. She also highlighted on why it’s crucial to document indigenous knowledge, reflect on it and disseminate it so that other vulnerable communities can benefit from other communities’ knowledge and expertise when it comes to climate risks mitigation, while also sharing highlights on how the work on DARAJA project has been modified to fit the rising challenges in the country.
The session was moderated by Mark Harvey CEO of Resurgence, an important partner of SUDTT in DARAJA project, he kept an engaging atmosphere while the other panelist discussed some interesting points on early warning systems, he also shared about DARAJA project in its different locations in the region.

The second highlight was the participation of our very own communication and media officer Mohildin Bushra in the capacity of youth climate delegate, which a program launched and managed by COP28 presidency and YOUNGO.
He participated in several panels including a side event titled “Empowering tomorrow’s green leaders: digital upskilling for youth climate entrepreneurs and the next generation of the green workforce” where he shared Mena youth perspective on supporting social entrepreneurship and innovation and integrating technological solution while being mindful of different counties contexts as well as the importance of youth inclusion whenever designing a program or a system.

Another panel was titled : No One Left Behind: Accelerating Climate Action in Countries Affected by Fragility, conflict and Protracted Humanitarian Crises in which he gave the perspective of youth when it comes to disparity of resources and aids distribution to conflict areas and the support for the youth who are fighting against climate change while dealing with conflict in the region, this is more important now than ever in the case of Sudan where mitigating climate change conditions will be even more challenging.
Overall, the entire week was busy in a delightful way, and we are looking forward to join more future events such as this one where we can represent the views of Sudan.