ABU DHABI, OCTOBER 19 – Addressing the IRENA Council in Abu Dhabi, Italy reiterated its commitment to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement in anticipation of the upcoming COP 28 which will be held in the United Arab Emirates. Italy expressed its appreciation for the collaboration in support of young people with the joint initiative “I ACT – Italy&Irena action for climate toolkit” dedicated to the well known journalist Piero Angela who spent decades bringing science close to regular citizens.
I-ACT is a training program aimed at strengthening the knowledge and training capabilities of young international activists in the areas of energy transition, climate change, and sustainable development. The project was commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which has developed a specific “toolkit” for peer-to-peer training of young international activists. The initiative, launched at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 19, was dedicated to the memory of the legendary science communicator who, while bringing science into Italian homes, also anticipated the times by drawing attention to issues and problems such as climate change that are relevant today and represent crucial challenges for the future of humanity.
The first phase of the project saw IRENA use the “toolkit” to train a highly selected group of young climate leaders from nearly 80 different countries. In the second phase, the young activists trained by IRENA, in turn, went on to train a broader audience of activists in their respective home countries through specific events organized by the Italian diplomatic network. The training also involved young Italian activists who participated in the training day organized at the UNDP “Centre for Climate Action and Energy” in Rome, with the participation of the two other Italians selected and trained by IRENA.
The project, which has already reached over 2000 young people, underscores Italy’s commitment to young people and their contributions to combat climate change. This commitment was previously established by the “Youth4Climate” initiative launched in Milan during the Pre-COP26 to give voice to young people in the context of climate negotiations. That initiative has been rehiterated every year since while a permanent secretariat for “Youth4Climate” was established at the UNDP “Centre for Climate Action and Energy” in Rome. (@OnuItalia)
