At the center of Climate Action, Youth are Agents of Change. The past decades have seen a proliferation of climate- and environment-related events and disasters that have had an adverse effect on people and the planet. The increased intensity of these occurrences has been felt across all continents in one form or another. Whether it is the current drought in the Horn of Africa, Madagascar and parts of the Middle East, flooding in Asia, wildfires, and extreme temperatures in GCC, Europe, Pakistan, India, Australia, and the Americas. Today, the global population of young people aged 15 to 24 years stands at 1.2 billion and is expected to grow by 7 per cent by 2030. This puts this population at the center of all efforts aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of climate change, since science predicts the same will be the generations that will face the peak of climate impacts even with a successful temperature cap at 1.5°C. This makes youth-particularly women and girls one of the most significant non-state actors in the region in terms of numbers: prioritizing their intrinsic abilities, creativity, skills, and talents to drive climate action while unlocking opportunities for them. Here in Kuwait country Officer, we witnessed this firsthand. In 2021, around the same time of the year, the UN in Kuwait identified inspiring youth initiatives, projects, and activities with great impact. The UN Day Celebrations was an opportunity to highlight, reveal and recognize youth efforts, community led initiatives, achievements, and innovative solutions driving ambitious engagements towards climate change and climate policy planning, design, implementation and evaluation at multilateral, national and local level with an enabling environment, at all levels including people with disabilities and with the contribution of the International Community. UN DAY 2021 Reporting 2022, through key forums such as the UN Day celebrations, the UN and partners shall offer youth with opportunities to provide concrete contributions, voices and recommendations that need to be translated into actions at national level. While also highlighting disaster risk reduction within climate change adaptation, community-based models, consultations, focus groups and the need for communication and raising awareness. Kuwait is currently confronted with a series of climate challenges – the country is known for its harsh climate, hot weather, and 5 frequent sandstorms, all of which pose serious health threats to its citizens and are further associated with unfavorable dynamics in socioeconomic activities. Youth Driving Ambition 4 Climate and Projecting Progress represents an opportunity for the United Nations and other vital partners to continue the dialogue with the people of Kuwait with a vast platform for impactful messaging and lasting engagement. Together we will mobilize collective resources to harness, confront global climate emergency.

  Eng. Abdulmutaleb Marafie - CEO of the Commercial Real Estate Company, announced that the Company joined the UN Global Compact initiative, which aims to unite the efforts of leading companies in supporting the fields of human rights, anti-corruption, environmental support and decent work.  Despite the company's initiative to include these objectives in its business for many years, supporting these initiatives paves the way; encouraging other companies to pursue the same principles among their priorities. Al-Tijaria’s interest in social responsibility and its keenness to implement the principles of corporate governance has grown to become one of the basic standards for the company’s belief that social responsibility is no longer a matter of volunteering to contribute to the society. It has become an essential part of developing the company on the long term, and through a wide range of activities such as charitable, cultural, scientific, health, environmental and social contributions. The participation in the initiative was made through the generous lead by Mrs. Rabaa Hussain Maki AlJuma, senior UN adviser to the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator / Manager of United Nations Global Compact in Kuwait and Qatar. After reviewing the company's initiatives in the field of the environmental protection and community support through many activities for decades. Maki AlJuma, expressed her appreciation for the efforts reviewed in the meeting with the aspiration that other companies in Kuwait will follow Al Tijaria’s method towards supporting these activities to raise the awareness about the importance of concerted efforts towards more sustainable world. This step came after further development, specifically after issuing the first sustainability report of the Commercial Company that focuses on the company’s role on their initiatives and activities with The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Kuwait’s National Development Plan, prepared by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) through RSM Albazie & Co. To conclude, Mr. Marafie welcomed the role played by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kuwait partnership with relevant institutions and its sponsorship to raise awareness of the importance of uniting global efforts for a more effective role for companies in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and the principles of the United Nations Global Compact initiative, which contributes to improving the living conditions as well as sustaining the future generations.  

19 December 2021, The National Diwan for Human Rights and the United Nations Office in the State of Kuwait have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote joint cooperation between the two sides and coordination in the areas of human rights. The areas of cooperation between the United Nations and the National Diwan for Human Rights set out in the memorandum of understanding covered many aspects of common interest and intersections between the strategic objectives of both sides in order to achieve the objectives of that step. The Head of the Kuwaiti National Diwan for Human Rights, Ambassador Jassem Al-Barki, said in a press release on Sunday, on the sidelines of the signing, that the whole step was aimed at establishing a joint cooperation mechanism that would strengthen the role of the two sides and strengthen their coordination in accordance with the objectives and areas of competence of the parties. This step, Ambassador Al-Mubarak added, is the added value of strengthening the role of the Cabinet in this regard, aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two sides through capacity-building, promoting awareness of and ensuring the exercise of human rights values, in recognition of the importance of joint cooperation in the areas of human rights. In a similar statement, the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Resident Coordinator of the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq El-Sheikh, paid tribute to Kuwait's efforts to develop human rights mechanisms and to ensure their protection and promotion. Dr. El-Sheikh noted Kuwait's strong interest in international human rights treaties and charters through the integration of those goals into the State's development plans, particularly in support of women, children, older persons, education and health care. He referred to the State of Kuwait's humanitarian footprints at the local, regional and international levels, which had led it to gain the appreciation of world organizations.      

Kuwait - December 6, 2021, under the patronage and presence of Sheikha Sheikha Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah and the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the resident coordinator in the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh.. The Public Authority for People with Disabilities Affairs, with the participation of the Institute of Human Development, established the Training of Social Welfare Categories and People with Disabilities and the College of Social Sciences at the University of Kuwait event (Empowering people with disabilities is a joint national policy). The event was held on Monday, 6/12/2021 at the headquarters of the United Nations House in the Mishref area, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event included:
 
For his part, the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Resident Coordinator in the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh, said on the sidelines of the event that Kuwait is a pioneer in integrating people with disabilities into society through digital inclusion, especially with regard to the United Nations Development Program. Sheikh stressed the need to develop specialized policies to integrate people with disabilities into society by facilitating their requirements and needs, praising the efforts of those in charge and participants in the event. He also stressed the constant quest to cooperate with the Public Authority for People with Disabilities, innovators and those with outstanding skills in this category, to shed light on their capabilities to be an active component in the development process led by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Where the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Dr. Khaled Mahdi, explained that the five-year development plan for the State of Kuwait and the government’s work program pays attention to people with special needs, through the pillar of developing and strengthening human capital, as it provides programs dedicated to serving, caring and rehabilitating this category through the “Disability Authority” » Which included a number of development projects that achieve the desired goals by caring for people with special needs, developing the services provided to them, and naturally integrating them into society and the labor market.
 
 As we meet today on this occasion, which coincides with the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we reiterate the emphasis on continuing to care for this group in order to ensure equal rights for all members of society without discrimination, out of belief in the role of this group in the development of society and in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development in general.
  
After the opening speeches, the forum's symposiums began, where the first session dealt with the first axis, which is entitled Educational Integration, which was spoken by Mrs. Al-Khansa Al-Husseini from the Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities. For her part, Ms. Hediko Hadjiac, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program, said, "Providing support and empowering people with special needs is an integral part of the national development plan for the State of Kuwait, within the framework of its third program, which provides for providing people with skills and incentives that work on the future development of these people, In addition to the achievements made by the State of Kuwait in the past years, which contributed to accelerating the pace of work with people with special needs for political, social and economic integration, as well as using innovative technologies and tools to improve the capabilities of people with special needs.
 
This included a short film on the United Nations Development Programme.
 
Dr. Maha Al-Sijari, Acting Dean of the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University, explained
"The College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University provides students with disabilities with all services to facilitate all difficulties and provide a healthy environment and privileges that include several psychological, material and educational aspects to support students in their educational achievement. The College of Social Sciences also conducts scientific studies aimed at educational inclusion for students with disabilities and creating awareness Dr. Maha Al-Sijari called for concerted efforts from all parties concerned in the educational attainment of students with disabilities to achieve educational integration for the development of Kuwait and the realization of the New Kuwait Plan 2035.
 
In the second session, the participants discussed the second axis, which is vocational rehabilitation and employment in the State of Kuwait. The Director of the Institute of Human Construction for Training, Eng. Awatef Al-Salman, and Mr. Captain Al-Amin from Ahli United Bank talked about the experience of employing people of determination with disabilities in the bank for members of the first batch, since they were the first to initiate The Banking Sector To support the Partners Employment Campaign initiative, the axis featured a documentary film of the campaign and its affiliates and those appointed in the Ahli United, National, Commercial and Gulf Banks.
The event concluded with an open discussion of the participants and recommendations.
- This was followed by a distinctive qualitative donation presented by the human building system to the sponsors, which is a palm tree that expresses the spirit of volunteerism and its symbolism in challenge and giving, as it will be planted in the land of the headquarters of the sponsors of the system’s initiatives, and then the event concluded with a tour of the exhibition of talents of people with disabilities, which was well received by the audience.