Student joins international COP26 youth event
Third-year represents his home nation at Youth4Climate Summit, in advance of global gathering in Glasgow.
An undergraduate student has joined a United Nations event for young people ahead of the COP26 climate change summit.
Xandru Cassar, a third-year BSc in Agricultural Economics student, represented his home nation of Malta at the Youth4Climate Summit in Milan.
Mr Cassar was one of 400 young delegates representing nations around the world at the pre-COP26 gathering, at which young people were tasked with developing and presenting their proposals for tackling climate change.
Competitive process
Mr Cassar took part in a two-stage application to become a delegate at the Youth Summit, and was Malta’s sole representative.
He and other delegates met and took part in preparations via an online forum for several months, before meeting in Italy.
Their conference in Milan comprised three full days of meetings and activities, including the opportunity to meet delegates from around the world, together with prime ministers and foreign ministers.
Participants were divided into cohorts and assigned on a climate-related issue to work on.
Mr Cassar joined a group tasked with focusing on food, within the context of how non-governmental organisations can improve sustainability and social justice.
Delegates presented their reports to ministers at the conclusion of their summit, and their reports will also be shared at COP26.
Mr Cassar said his scientific studies and experience with the University’s Food Security and Sustainability Society were of benefit to taking part in the event, and he was especially interested in the experience of exchanging ideas with others from around the world.
Much of what I’ve heard and experienced at the Youth Summit will remain with me. I can now see a wider dynamic and can appreciate global ramifications of policy and trade. However, meeting people from all over the world, with so many walks of life and experiences represented, will remain with me much more than the hard documents we worked on together.