COP28 Voice For Action Stage
During the design and planning stage of COP28 UAE, I was invited to give feedback on the COP28 delegate journey, expectations, and ideas to fulfill them. During that meeting, I touched upon some challenges we face while running our community organization, Sustainability Tribe. Unlike in other countries, protests, demonstrations, name-calling, and shaming are prohibited here. However, at Sustainability Tribe, we have been putting into service these local laws to focus on climate actions and empowering our community to do more instead of focusing on what isn’t helpful. This way, our organization doesn’t just follow the local laws and respect UAE’s local culture and values, but we embody them in our ethos.
In the COP28 planning meeting, I had advised and requested to provide a safe zone for community and civil society members to voice their opinions within UAE’s legal requirements. Therefore, seeing that suggestion become reality through the Voice for Action stage in the Green Zone was more than delightful.
Naturally, it was our great pleasure to host an event on that stage and very aptly invite members of our Sustainability Tribe community to speak and express their opinions and share their experiences of being part of our tribe.
Sustainability Tribe’s Voice at COP28
The representatives of every pillar of the Sustainability Tribe supported, spoke, and attended our event. Sustainability Tribe’s community comprises industry and academic experts who contribute to educating our community; volunteers, interns, supporters, and partners help us run our operations and receive mentoring and experience in sustainable business practices. Sustainability Tribe’s Ambassadors complete our innovative challenge-based climate education program and bring change to their lifestyle or career, and we can count on them when we need support.
At the event, we had speakers from ages 10 and above, from students to senior professionals in different industries. They came from different emirates of the UAE and represent many different nationalities. A great representation of Sustainability Tribe’s real and massive community online and in real life!
In the opening speech Ruhaan Tavkar, our 10-year-old tribe member, reminded us that “your actions will help our generations and many more to come”. A 10th grader Sangay Tamang, the Sustainability Tribe Youth Ambassador, shared in her talk how Sustainability Tribe has helped her to think beyond me-myself and I; focus on the larger picture of planetary health. Helped her connect with a community where she truly belongs. During the event, our volunteers Zahra Naqvi and Murtaza Mustafa shared why they chose to volunteer with us and how they contributed. Our supporter Ilgaz Demirel and youth Ambassador Ardra Sathyan shared valuable insights.
Bhakti More, who is part of the Sustainability Tribe’s Expert panel, shared how much effort goes into creating sustainability educational resources on the Sustainability Tribe. And how Sustainability Tribe cultivates diverse expertise from our industry experts to reach out to individuals, organizations, and society at large to make a difference. One of our volunteers Ankitha Shuibu, described Sustainability Tribe in very simple language, “It is all about people connecting together and saving the Earth”
