In December 2023, BE OPEN Foundation will join the speakers in the Green Zone of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, by far the largest and most influential climate, energy and sustainability-related event in the world.
At the Greening Education Hub, the foundation will share the results of its SDG-themed student competition programme that chooses to focus on one particular goal every year, and has so far covered SDG12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG2: Zero Hunger, and SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy. The programme aims to encourage creation of innovative solutions by younger creatives, for a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina explains the reasoning behind BE OPEN’s SDG-themed programme: “Everyone is needed to reach the ambitious targets set by the UN’s SDG programme – the creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of humanity. BE OPEN’s programme strives to help educate wider audiences that a sustainable future is dependent on all of us, yet I am convinced that the younger generation today is a more responsible and aware one. I see incredible commitment, responsiveness and audacity in how they approach whatever problems we ask them to tackle.”
BE OPEN has also become a partner of the Student Energy Summit (SES 2023) that is taking place in Abu Dhabi between November 28 and December 1 at the NYUAD. It is the largest youth-led energy event in the world that provides space for hundreds of young people to collaborate on sustainable energy solutions and connect to industry leaders in the energy and climate sectors. The organisers enable the participation of youth from diverse backgrounds, especially young people from marginalized communities and developing countries, who will have the opportunity to amplify their capacities and scale up their clean energy projects.
Among the delegates of the Summit there will be several winners of BE OPEN’s latest competition Better Energy by Design, their attendance being part of their award in addition to cash grants.
At the SES, BE OPEN will expand on the ongoing competition Design Your Climate Action dedicated to SDG13: Climate Action, and invite the delegates from all over the world to develop and submit their projects. The competition is open to all students, graduates and young professionals who specialise in the fields of design, architecture, engineering and media globally. Projects for the competition must relate to one of the following submission categories: Raising Resilience and Adaptation, Energy of Change and Solutions Offered by Nature.
BE OPEN strongly believes that creativity is integral in the shift to sustainable existence. To attain the UN SDGs we need to think out of the box. We need creative thinking – design thinking – and creative action. Design has a crucial role to play as an instrument or vehicle for the implementation of the UN SDGs.