High level youth forum with foreign dignitaries and Ban Ki-moon hosted by the Global Center on Adaptation and University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân

Following the findings of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the challenge of adapting to climate change has been thrust to the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate emergency. 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming is now expected to be reached within a decade. This implies, over the next ten years, a rapid acceleration of warming and worsening of climate impacts as never seen before. 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), Ban Ki-moon, together with world dignitaries and youth has addressed these issues on Tuesday 7 September 2021 at the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân during the 'High-Level Dialogue with Youth: Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency' convened by Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the GCA and Chair of the Climate Adaptation Governance Programme at the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân.

Ban Ki-moon, who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Groningen lead the keynote speech together with Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives. This was followed by a roundtable discussion with leaders from countries vulnerable to climate change. The panel was followed by a dialogue between professional football player Arjen Robben, Global Center on Adaptation Goodwill Ambassador for Youth in Climate Adaptation and students. Mr. Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, was also among the honored guests and received the 2021 Ban Ki-moon prize for Women's Empowerment. The session was closed by the Mayor of Leeuwarden, Sybrand Buma.

Livestream

The event 'Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency' was organized by the Global Center on Adaptation, the Municipality of Leeuwarden and the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân. You can watch the event via the button below.