Bonn, 6 October 2016 - Two young climate activists from Tunisia and Vietnam who tell their inspiring stories of climate action and building public awareness have been selected as the winners of the 2016 Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change.
The winners, chosen through online public voting, are Faouzia Bahloul from Tunisia and Phuong Vu Hoang from Vietnam. They will travel to the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech in Morocco in November and will work with the communications team of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in covering highlights of the meeting.
The video “Think Renewable” by the young Tunisian Faouzia Bahloul is about the need to increase the use of renewable energy, and explains the research she has been doing on biogas produced with the help of microalgea. In his video entry, Phuong Vu Hoang talks about the vulnerability of Vietnam to climate change explains how he deploys his graphic design skills to make posters to inform the public about more sustainable lifestyle choices.
UNFCCC SpokespersonNick Nuttall said: “In Marrakech, countries will be celebrating the entry into force of the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement, and taking the next crucial steps towards low carbon and resilient societies. As they do so, they can be heartened by the enthusiasm and commitment of young people working on concrete ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The video contributions underscore the fact that governments are not alone in constructing a more sustainable world – civil society, cities, businesses, investors and not least young people around the world are intensely engaged in helping to construct greener, safer and more prosperous societies and envision a better world for their communities and for the globe.”
Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 took part in the competition, with entries submitted from young people in 77 different countries, from France to Fiji.
The competition was launched by the UNFCCC secretariat’s “Action for Climate Empowerment” initiative, in partnership with Television for the Environment (tve) and supported by the Global Environment Facility’s Small Grants Programme, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.
Watch the video by Faouzia Bahloul:
See the video by Phuong Vu Hoang
All of the entries to the competition can be viewed here
Click here to keep up with all the activities of Action for Climate Empowerment ACE.
Media contacts
For further information please contact:
Nick Nuttall, Coordinator, Communications and Outreach
+49 228 815 1400 (phone), +49 152 0168 4831 (mobile)
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Nick Turner, Fundraiser and manager, digital projects (tve)
+44 (0)20 7 963 7450 (phone)
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About the UNFCCC
With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
About tve
tve works with filmmakers and partners worldwide to make and distribute films that put the environment and sustainability on the global agenda. From aspiring filmmakers documenting the challenge of e-waste disposal to major corporations showcasing innovation, tve helps to give a voice and a platform to a new generation of filmmakers who want to see a greener and fairer world. tve films are broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers, screened to audiences ranging from policymakers to rickshaw drivers, and viewed online worldwide. Our films inspire change.
About GEF – Small Grants Programme
Established in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, the GEF Small Grants Programme embodies the very essence of sustainable development by "thinking globally acting locally". By providing financial and technical support to projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people's well-being and livelihoods, SGP demonstrates that community action can maintain the fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives.