About the Council
The Arab Youth Council for Climate Change (AYCCC) is an initiative by the Arab Youth Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the Office of the UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, and private sector partners under the umbrella of the Arab League. The Council aims to achieve a qualitative leap in the interaction of Arab youth with environmental issues, support youth climate action, and engage young Arabs in developing innovative and sustainable solutions to the climate change challenge.
Goals
Support Arab countries in achieving their climate action goals
Suggest effective green solutions for all segments of society in the public and private sectors
Submit strategic recommendations for decision-makers in the Arab world
Represent Arab youth in local and international forums, and voice their opinions and views
Equip Arab youth with the necessary skills to raise awareness and keep up with climate challenges
Encourage investment in enterprises and startups operating in the field
Every two years, the council will host up to twelve young Arabs who are working on climate change portfolios in the government and private sectors, or own enterprises that address the challenges related to climate change, including clean energy, water and natural resources management, and reducing carbon emissions.
Butti Almheiri holds a masters degree in Climate change, management & finance from Imperial College London, achieving distinction in his thesis: "The Contribution of Carbon Pricing to Decarbonise Future Economies". Butti has worked on a consultancy project for Climax Community to develop a marketing and branding strategy for climate change awareness and action among SMEs in the UK. The Emirati national was part of the Emirati delegation to COP26 in Glasgow, participated in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) formal meetings, and gave tours within the UAE pavilion around the UAE Climate action Timeline. He also was chosen by the Federal Youth Authority as a member of the first formation of the Global Youth Council in the UK. Butti completed internships at the Office of Strategic Affairs in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Office, and the Federal National Council.
Ahmed Sabaaellail is a climate and environmental activist and director of Al-manakh website. The Egyptian national holds multiple grants and fellowships pertaining to the environment in the MENA region.
Ahmed participated in numerous programs, such as COP, UNESCO, and UNDP, with the aim to fight climate change. He launched the Green Parliament project that seeks to improve air quality in Egypt. Ahmed shares his media experience with young journalists, and continues to write and investigate on environmental and climate-related matters.
He completed a knowledge management course from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.
Ahmed Fathy is the founder and CEO of YLE Foundation, who took the organization from local to international. He is an observer at UNEP, partner of the UNEP‐MAP Barcelona Convention, national coordinator for PACJA in Egypt, national focal point for World Cleanup Day, and a member of the GEF CEO Network.
The Egyptian national participated in COP25 in Madrid, all African Ministerial Conferences on the Environment (AMCEN) since 2015, all Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Climate Action since 2017, and all CCDA Conferences since 2017.
Hatim Aznague was the official delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco at COP26, PreCOP26, and Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition. The Moroccan national is the Founder and President of The Sustainable Development’s Youth, a non-governmental organization in Morocco that aims to promote, sensitize, and concretize sustainable development, and winner of the UN SDG Action Award in the Mobilizer category.
In 2020, Hatim was appointed as Commissioner for the UN High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 Follow-up and Regional Focal Point for the UN MGCY in the Middle East, North Africa and Western Asia with a focus on gender equality.
Hatim also launched Youth SDG Action Morocco that opened the gateway for multiple collaborations, such as the Morocco-Congo partnership in sustainable development.
Hannan is currently leading and managing the sustainability program at an
investment management holding company by developing and implementing corporate sustainability strategies that ensure best practices are environmentally responsible, compliant with Saudi government regulations and aligned with the global standards (SDGs & GRIs). She overlooks impactful projects from nine subsidiaries in diverse sectors which are reducing carbon footprint, increasing reforestation, upcycling waste into new revenue streams, promoting youth development and more. Prior to her career switch, Hannan spent two years working in the research sector after graduating from Cardiff University with an MSc in Tissue Engineering; some of the research projects she conducted were on polymer-based drug delivery systems, stem cell reprogramming, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology. Her mission is to build bridges across various disciplines, sectors, and borders that will advance environmental and social capital in my community and push for humanity.
Omani scientist, activist, and athlete Rumaitha Al Busaidi empowers Arab women to step into spaces previously denied to them — whether it’s a football field, volcano summit, or the frontline battle against climate change. This year, she debuted her TED talk that highlights the role of women as key to our climate future, garnering over a million views worldwide.
Rumaitha has worked with the Omani government on implementing diversification strategies, serves on the board of Environment Society of Oman, and advised the Biden administration on developing a climate resilience standard for US foreign aid with a focus on empowering women as a form of climate change mitigation.
Reem AlMuraikhi received her bachelor’s degree in German and English for Business and Communications from the German Jordanian University. She started her career in the Bahrain Science Center for SDGs as a Youth Activities Specialist, where she created, managed, and executed several educational events, programs, and projects that focused on educating youth on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also helped design one of the largest projects in the Bahrain Science Center for SDGs which focuses on studying and designing an ecosystem that enables social entrepreneurship to thrive in Bahrain. Reem is currently utilizing her role as a teacher to continue educating youth and empowering them to contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Development. She has also had multiple opportunities to share a space with international, like-minded youth, where powerful and meaningful conversations continue to inspire and drive her to become a positive change catalyst and leader for social and environmental justice.
Sara AlAmeri is an Emirati diplomat, who has worked on multiple assignments, including supervisory roles, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Her latest project involves assisting the UAE in its efforts to host COP28.
Previously, Sara spent nearly a year in a company dealing with aerial, hydrographic, and land surveying, and completed four months of practical training at Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company.
Sara graduated from the United Arab Emirates University with a major in GIS and Remote Sensing and a minor in Leadership and Communication. She also holds a diploma from the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy.
Sultan Al Harthi works at Abu Dhabi City Municipality as the team leader of the Estidama team that applies sustainability standards to buildings and communities with the aim of protecting the environment and reducing energy and water consumption. The Emirati national is responsible for raising awareness about environmental issues and the need to protect the environment, and educating the public about adopting sustainable behaviors as well as about the sustainable design of homes and communities.
Sultan holds a higher diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Sherif Elrefaey is a graduate student at the School of International Studies at Peking University in China, Country Coordinator of UNFCCC – COY16 in Glasgow, and a specialist in international climate diplomacy.
The Egyptian national is a member of UNEP MGCY and the founder of Greenation organization. He represented UNEP MGCY at the UNEP Medium- Term Strategy discovery session with MGCY and the Committee of Permanent Representatives. Sherif was also the contact point on the Global Youth Consultation Survey for the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy 20222025- and Egypt’s representative at the consultation session with young climate actors in the Arab region, organized by UNESCO Beirut.
Mustafa Hashem is an energy researcher, engineer, and Future Energy Leader (FEL-100) at the World Energy Council with a record of working in the international development and energy industries. He is currently acting as a Technical Advisor to the Jordanian-German Energy Partnership and e-Governance Project in Jordan at the GIZ. The Jordanian national is an activist and leader in the Young Mediterranean Voices network, and an alumnus of the Arab Foundation for Sustainable Development (Ruwwad Al-Tanmeya). His research and professional interests lie in the fields of energy and electricity systems, energy-economic modeling, energy policy analysis, and climate change abatement.
Mustafa completed his MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh, UK, as a Chevening and Saïd Foundation joint scholar, and holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Jordan.
Maissam El Kouche works as Sustainability Manager at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, responsible for implementing the company-wide sustainability strategy and associated policies through the network of sustainability leads and champions in each operating company. The Lebanese national has over five years of experience in corporate sustainability. Her top priorities include advancing the social sustainability agenda and enhancing sustainability communications across the company’s business units.
Maissam has been recognized as Top Talent at Majid Al Futtaim due to her continued drive to live the company’s leadership model to advance sustainable business growth.
Sponsored by HSBC, this initiative is designed by global experts, taught by leading practitioners, and offered as an open-source curriculum to teach sustainability skills for all university students in the Middle East and North Africa. It aims at ensuring there is a core module in all higher education degrees that focuses on sustainability and climate change (a curriculum by the region, for the region, about managing climate change in the region).
Youth Network for Climate Action is a database of Arab youth who are passionate about climate change matters and are willing to volunteer to support and learn from AYCCC members through their series of projects.
Contact Us
For any questions or inquiries you can contact us at climate@arabyouthcenter.org