Beniamin Strzelecki, Class of 2023, was selected to join the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment as part of the UAE delegation to COP27, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.
Strzelecki’s preparations for the summit started before his departure and continued in training sessions at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy where delegates learned negotiation and diplomacy skills and received briefings about the key agenda items for the upcoming climate summit. His role at COP27 was also to represent the Student Energy Summit, the world’s largest youth-led conference focused on energy that will be hosted at NYUAD in November 2023.
I am excited to be a part of the university’s efforts to support the UAE in achieving its goals on climate action and youth empowerment. The country has committed to focusing on inclusion during COP28 and I believe that the young generation will play an important role during the coming summit.
Strzelecki’s involvement with sustainability initiatives at NYUAD began during his first semester as part of the Student Government Sustainability Committee and continued through his participation in UAE programs including Masdar’s Future Sustainability Leaders. Strzelecki’s hope is that when COP28 comes to the UAE in 2023, participating nations will focus further on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.