“Youth Loves Egypt” participates in SB62 Climate Negotiations in Bonn

CAIRO -30 June 2025: The “Youth Loves Egypt” Foundation participated in the 62nd Session of the Subsidiary Bodies Meeting (SB62) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Bonn, Germany, from June 16 to 26, 2025.

This participation comes as an effective step toward strengthening the presence of African youth and civil society in international climate negotiations.

The Foundation's delegation was headed by Ahmed Fathy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and included activists: Rawda Abu Bakr, Donia Ibrahim, and Sama El-Fatairi. Other nine young people from Egypt, Asian and African countries (including India and Kenya) also participated in a virtual delegation.

 

The Foundation's interventions focused on issues of climate change adaptation, addressing loss and damage, and financing climate work, while emphasizing the need to engage marginalized communities and African youth in the climate decision-making process.

These themes formed a cornerstone of the Foundation's efforts to highlight the specific challenges facing the African continent and push for just policies that respond to the needs of populations affected by climate change.

The Foundation’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Ahmed Fathy, participated in an event on community resilience in the context of the Paris Agreement and Sendai framework, emphasizing that the involvement of youth and marginalized groups is a prerequisite for the success of adaptation plans.

During a press conference titled “Reading SB62 from an African Civil Society Perspective,” activist Rawda Abu Bakr, called for ensuring simultaneous translation, sustainable financing, and the empowerment of women and youth to achieve equitable climate decisions that reflect the reality of African communities affected by the crisis.

 

Activist Donia Ibrahim, met with the YOUNGO Council, where they discussed ways to activate African youth participation in the negotiation process. Her suggestions contributed to the formulation of several key recommendations that will be built upon in the preparations for COP30.

Activist Sama Al-Fatairi also led two key events, including: “The Transformative Power of Stories” which attracted 120 participants, including policymakers and activists, and focused on the role of storytelling in influencing climate policy.

And the 2nd one is, “Environmental Education: Our Weapon to Combat Climate Change,” which brought together 80 representatives from international and African organizations, addressing the importance of environmental education as a strategic tool to empower African communities to confront climate challenges.

Both the actual and virtual delegations contributed to live coverage of the SB62 conference events through interviews and social media analysis.

Fathy commented on the foundation's participation, saying, “Our participation in SB62 is a pivotal milestone in our journey. It has strengthened our presence on international platforms, opened up broad horizons for regional and international cooperation, and presented an inspiring Egyptian model for environmental and climate action.”

He added that the foundation is building on this experience by empowering African youth to participate effectively in COP30, scheduled to be held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.