Bermuda’s youth delegation for United Nations Conference of the Parties on climate change in Dubai, is focused on creating a non-profit organisation to help empower more young Bermudians.

A statement from Bermuda Youth Delegates said that the non-profit would be aimed at helping young people attend global conferences and workshops.

The group is also preparing a post-COP28 report to put forward recommendations for Bermuda’s development strategy touching on everything from early childhood education to tourism and food security.

“Deputy Premier Walter Roban has expressed interest in a debrief, which the delegates hope signals governmental collaboration for their initiatives,” the statement added.

The delegation, which included Noelle Young, Zayne Sinclair, Malachi Symonds, Olly Cherry, William Campbell and Isaiah Fraser, was the island’s first youth delegation to take part in COP conference.

“COP28 in Dubai, a hub of 84,000 attendees, was a melting pot of cultures and ideas, pushing the boundaries of diversity in climate discussions,” the statement said.

“The Bermudian Youth Delegation, an independently funded ‘solutionist group’, engaged with various stakeholders, from policymakers to farmers, contributing to and learning from the rich tapestry of global perspectives.

“Their experience was an eye-opener to the intersectional nature of global environmental transformation and its links with peace, justice, race, gender and various abilities.”

The statement said COP28 marked a “significant shift towards meaningful youth engagement” with the introduction of the Youth Climate Champion role and the International Climate Delegation Programme.

“These programmes, particularly the first-ever Youth Stocktake event, deeply resonated with the Bermudian delegates, the statement said.

While the group received invitations from event organisers and other delegates, they were not able to receive Blue Zone passes, and Bermudian status limited their attendance at many decision making events.

“However, this did not impede their involvement, as youth delegates from other countries used their Blue Zone statuses to propose the Bermudian group's written recommendations in key discussions,” the statement added.

“Subsequently, they were briefed on the outcomes. Youth championing youth has become common practice at COP events.”

• For more information about the Bermudian Youth Delegation's participation at COP28 and the group’s projects, visitwww.bermudayouthdelegates.com.