Two young people will be celebrated as winners of the UN Global Climate Action Awards during the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in Dubai later this week.
Sebastian Mwaura, a Kenyan, will be awarded in Dubai alongside Michelle Zárate Palomec of Mexico.
The two were selected from hundreds of applicants from 120 countries for their outstanding efforts to make their communities more sustainable, resilient, and equitable places to live.
Mwaura, 35, is the co-founder of Yna Kenya, with the primary objective of accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. This is by providing a robust charging network that is powered by renewable energy sources.
He also started the HerGo programme to bring women into the e-mobility transport sector, aiming at creating 12,000 jobs for women as drivers and charging station owners.
“This initiative was born from our commitment to mitigating climate change by promoting renewable energy in the transportation sector.”
Mwaura won under the award’s energy transition category.
“The widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the availability of a robust charging network, play a pivotal role in achieving a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.”
Palomec, 27, leads efforts within an organisation called Espacio de Encuentro de las Culturas Originarias, to provide access to clean and sufficient water for highly marginalised indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca.
Within the community, water resources are scarce, and pollution accentuates social and gender inequalities.
“The communities involved in the project benefit from affordable and innovative ecotechnologies for water sanitation, micro-watershed recovery, and the ability to adapt to the main hydro-meteorological events to which they are vulnerable,” said Palomec, who won under the Award’s “resilient nature” category.
The two award winners will be feted at an award ceremony on December 8, in the Global Climate Action area.
Award-winning journalist and climate advocate Sophia Li will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies.
Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, is expected to speak at the COP28 Award Ceremony.
UN Climate Change has been supporting the awards since 2011.
The 2023 edition of the Awards is implemented in partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to IRENA.
