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Africa Moyo in SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt
She was born at Mashava Private Hospital in Masvingo province 24 years ago, and is a level 4.1 Geography and Environmental Studies student at the Midlands State University.
She is attending her first Conference of the Parties (COP) in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on the south-eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
And just yesterday, she was one of the 20 young people selected to meet United Nations Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres for an engagement on youth concerns.
That is the story of Christabel Clotilda Mhiribidi.
Christabel, along with the other young people, then handed over a global youth statement to one of the world’s most influential men, so he could help advance the needs and expectations of their peers across the world.
Zimbabwe, which is not a stranger to producing high-fliers who are ready to take the world head-on, had two young people in the meeting with Mr Guterres.
The other one, Elizabeth Gulugulu, is familiar with the terrain since she is the YOUNGO Focal Point from the Global South, Zimbabwe.
YOUNGO is the official children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
But for Christabel, merely participating in COP 27 was a dream, and being involved in a closed-door meeting with Mr Guterres was beyond imagination.
In an interview after the engagement, Christabel said: “I feel humbled and honoured to have been selected among the 20 youths to meet with the UN Secretary General on the sidelines of COP 27.
“Being a climate change activist and a Geography and Environmental Studies student, I have always learnt about COPs and how they are the biggest and most important conferences on climate change, which are led by the famous UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.
“Coming to COP27 itself was a dream come true, but meeting with His Excellency (Mr Guterres) in the same room, and breathing the same air, felt amazing. I mean it’s my first COP and l meet with His Excellency, it just overwhelming.”
Christabel said the fact that the UN chief spared his time to interact with young people, means “we are special and are an important part in shaping the present and the future”.
“Together we can address the climate emergency and guarantee a planet that has peace and prosperity for all,” she said.
Christabel is at COP27 representing the Zimbabwean Environmental Law Association Youth Network.
She says she is here to get more understanding and infuse children and youth issues in the climate change discourse.
“Children are not passive recipients, but rather agents of change, and a healthy environment is a prerequisite for their physical and mental health,” said Christabel.
Elizabeth said the engagement was aimed at presenting the global youth statement on youth statement on climate justice to Mr Guterres.
“These are the demands of young people on what they feel world leaders should address,” said Elizabeth, an MSc candidate in Biodiversity Conservation, and a member of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change Zimbabwe.
“As an example, last year the Glasgow Climate Pact referred to three youth specific demands and this year, we are hoping that after conference, there will also be demands on the decision cover, reflecting to youth demands and needs.
“So, we handed over a global youth statement to the UN Secretary General so that he can also advocate the needs of young people all over the world.”
After the sobering moment yesterday, Christabel advised other young people that the “future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
“You should never stop believing, neither should we stop fighting this climate battle until we win,” she said. “Always remember, our existence and the existence of future generations entirely depends on us, for survival.”
After the meeting, Mr Guterres tweeted: Young people like the ones I met at #COP27 today, have been relentless in demanding #Climate Action. The world owes them an enormous debt. I am grateful for their persistence &courage – and I am proud to stand with them.”
Online Reporter