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• At COP29, UNITAR Division for Prosperity co-hosted the “Public Participation Supporting the Construction of a Beautiful China” side event with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, on 11 November 2024.
• Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of UNITAR Division for Prosperity, delivered an opening speech at the “Youth Action World Future” session, emphasizing the role of education in empowering youth to address climate challenges.
• UNITAR Division for Prosperity signed a partnership agreement with College Daily for a new programme, the Global Youth Scholars Programme, which will launch in March 2025 to cultivate global future leaders.

15 November 2024, Geneva, Switzerland – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Division for Prosperity co-hosted with China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment a side event to the 29th Conference of the Parties ( ) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (11 to 22 November 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan). The COP 29 side event on 11 November, “Public Participation Supporting the Construction of a Beautiful China”, focused on youth and public participation for climate action and was hosted at the China Pavilion. Director Mihoko Kumamoto delivered an opening speech and led a partnership signing.

Director Kumamoto delivered an opening speech at the “Youth Action World Future” session, which gathered global young representatives, scholars, policymakers and NGO representatives to explore the crucial role of youth in global climate change discussions. She highlighted China’s environmental achievements and emphasized the importance of human resources, capacity building and public participation in addressing global issues, underscoring the critical empowering role of education in enhancing public participation.

“Every policy we draft, every agreement we sign, will ultimately depend on people – trained, committed and capable people – to bring it to life. We can thus clearly see how the synergy of education and participation drives true change.” -Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director, Division for Prosperity, UNITAR

Ms. Kumamoto also celebrated the inauguration of the earlier in 2024, which aims to promote sustainable business practices and fostering global knowledge exchanges.

At the “Public Participation Supporting the Construction of a Beautiful China” session, Ms. Kumamoto led the signing of a new partnership agreement with College Daily, a media service organization dedicated to international education in China, for the Global Youth Scholars Programme. The new programme will aim to equip young scholars with the skills to tackle global challenges and promote sustainability.

At the signing ceremony, Ms. Kumamoto emphasized the crucial role of investing in youth as catalysts for sustainable development. Mr. Lin Guoyu, the founder and chief editor of College Daily, introduced the programme and announced that it will be officially launched in March 2025.

The programme will focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ranging from poverty alleviation to clean energy promotion. It will seek to cultivate global perspectives, innovative thinking, and leadership qualities among future academic and societal leaders, thereby laying a solid foundation for their personal and professional growth, while also providing an e-platform for young scholars to contribute to the SDGs.

The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held from 11 to 22 November 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan, marked a critical juncture in bolstering global responses to the escalating climate crisis. Amid record-breaking global temperatures and severe weather phenomena, the conference gathered global leaders from various sectors to forge actionable strategies against climate change, focusing significantly on financing the transition to a sustainable future.