High level youth forum with foreign dignitaries and Ban Ki-moon hosted by the Global Center on Adaptation and University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân

Following the findings of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the challenge of adapting to climate change has been thrust to the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate emergency. 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming is now expected to be reached within a decade. This implies, over the next ten years, a rapid acceleration of warming and worsening of climate impacts as never seen before. 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), Ban Ki-moon, together with world dignitaries and youth will address these issues on Tuesday 7 September at the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân during the 'High-Level Dialogue with Youth: Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency' convened by Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the GCA and Chair of the Climate Adaptation Governance Programme at the University of Groningen.

Ban Ki-moon, who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Groningen will lead the keynote speech together with Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, the former president of the Maldives. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion with leaders from countries vulnerable to climate change: Mr. Abdul Momen, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Bangladesh), Mr. Simon Stiell, Minister of Agriculture, Land, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (Grenada), Mr. Keriako Tobiko , Minister of Environment and Forestry (Kenya), Mrs. Vera Songwe, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mrs. Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the Economic United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Africa, Mrs. Karin Isaksson, Managing Director Nordic Development Fund. The panel is followed by a dialogue between professional football player Arjen Robben, Global Center on Adaptation Goodwill Ambassador for Youth in Climate Adaptation and students. Mr. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, will also be among the honored guests and will receive the 2021 Ban Ki-moon prize for Women's Empowerment. The session will be closed by the Mayor of Leeuwarden, Sybrand Buma. After the event, the delegation will commemorate the visit to Leeuwarden by planting a tree followed by a luncheon hosted by the Leeuwarden municipality.

The event 'Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency' is organized by the Global Center on Adaptation, the Municipality of Leeuwarden and the University of Groningen/Campus Fryslân. The public audience is invited by personal invitation. It is also possible to attend the meeting online via a live stream. The program starts at 10.00 am till 12 noon.