The Global Center on Adaptation and University of Groningen to host High-Level Youth Forum
For immediate release
Media Advisory
What: High-Level Youth Forum
Who: Global Center on Adaptation and University of Groningen
When: 7 September 2021, 10.00-12.00 CEST
Where: University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
On Tuesday, 7th September, 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation, Ban Ki-moon, together with other global leaders and young people will participate in a ‘High-Level Dialogue with Youth: Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency’ being held at the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân. The Dialogue has been convened by Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation and Chair of the Climate Adaptation Governance Programme at the University of Groningen and is hosted by the Global Center on Adaptation, the Municipality of Leeuwarden and the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân.
Ban Ki-moon, who received an honorary doctorate from at the University of Groningen will give a keynote speech together with Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion with leaders from climate vulnerable countries including: Abdul Momen, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh); Simon Stiell, Minister of Agriculture, Land, Forest, Fisheries and the Environment (Grenada); Keriako Tobiko , Minister of Environment and Forest (Kenya); Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra (Ghana); and Karin Isaksson, Managing Director Nordic Development Fund.
Following the panel there will be a dialogue between professional football player Arjen Robben who is the Global Center on Adaptation Goodwill Ambassador for Youth in Climate Adaptation and some of the university students.
Paul Polman, Co-founder and Chair of Imagine, will receive the 2021 Ban Ki-moon prize for Women’s Empowerment. The session will be closed by the Mayor of Leeuwarden, Sybrand Buma. The event will be followed by a luncheon hosted by the Leeuwarden municipality, after which the delegation will commemorate the visit to Leeuwarden by watering a tree at a commemorative plaque .
Notes to editors
The event is invitation only. It is also possible to attend the meeting online via live stream, which can be found here. The program starts at 10.00 until 12 noon CET.
For more information, please contact:
Engelien Reitsma: +31 (0)6 48666371 / e.j.reitsma@rug.nl
The Communication Office of the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân
Alexandra Gee +447887 804594/ alex.gee@gca.org
Head of Communications, Global Center on Adaptation
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization, hosted by the Netherlands, which works to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, from the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Founded in 2018 and working from its global center in the world’s largest floating office in Rotterdam with a knowledge and research hub based in Groningen, GCA also has global innovation hub for climate adaptation in Beijing, and regional offices in Abidjan and Dhaka. Through this evolving network of offices and global and regional GCA teams, GCA engages in high-level policy activities, new research contributions, communications, and technical assistance to governments and the private sector, much of which have significant economic and financial components.
