51Talk’s global talented students made another debut at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, calling for joint commitment to environmental protection.
The 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (hereinafter referred to as COP28) officially marked the opening of the conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 30 November local time. The two-week event attracted more than 70,000 participants, including Heads of State (or Prime Ministers) from 167 countries, national negotiators, activists and global youth opinion leaders. This makes COP28 the largest climate conference ever.
During the COP28 conference, 51Talk Global Outstanding Students were invited to participate and share their environmental views on the spot. They are Danielle Lam from Hong Kong, Nawaf Alotaibi from Saudi Arabia, Wachiraya Puttirodjanakun from Thailand, and Braden Yong from Malaysia, representing the youth power of their respective countries to participate in COP28, and launching the initiative “Join me to be an eco-warrior” on the spot. The children represented their respective countries in COP28 and also launched the initiative “Join me in being an eco-warrior”, which calls for a common concern about the threats posed by climate change.
Danielle Lam: Actively Advocating Conservation of Migratory Birds, Hong Kong Teenagers in Action
Migratory birds play a key role in the ecosystem, maintaining the overall ecological balance through migration and directly affecting human health, public health, pest control and plant reproduction. However, as global temperatures rise and wetlands continue to dwindle, not only threatening the stability of an important ecosystem, but also weakening our resilience to climate change, Danielle Lam encouraged more people to take an active role in environmental protection actions to protect these precious birds while preserving the fragile ecosystems that humans depend on for their survival. At the conference, guests from all over the world were highly appreciative of Danielle’s speech, praising the teenagers from Hong Kong, China, for demonstrating a deep mind and a broad perspective, while showing great power to take action.
Nawaf Alotaibi: Every child should be an environmental hero!
Nawaf Alotaibi, from Saudi Arabia, said in his speech: “Much of Saudi Arabia has a tropical desert climate, and despite the heat, in recent years temperatures have been rising, sometimes approaching 50 degrees Celsius, while precipitation has been decreasing, which has led to droughts in the soil. As young inhabitants of the earth, as we are kids have to take positive initiatives in the face of the harsh changes in the environment, such as conserving water, switching off lights as we go, and participating in tree planting activities under the guidance of our parents, which are all collective efforts to combat climate change. I believe that every child can be part of the environmental heroes.” Although Nawaf Alotaibi is only 12 years old, his precise logic, clear thinking, fluent English, and handsome appearance won praise from delegates from all over the world. Interviewed by a number of TV reporters, Nawaf Alotaibi expressed his gratitude for his learning experience at 51Talk and the opportunity to share his environmental ideas on the UN podium.
Braden Yong: Building a beautiful global village, environmental protection starts from me
“In Malaysia, especially during the Monsoon season in the East Coast region of West Malaysia, it is often subjected to heavy rains and floods. A flood last year led to the disruption of some transport roads, flooding of houses, suspension of classes for students and work stoppage for parents. On the 17th of November, as a youth representative from Malaysia, I had the privilege of speaking with the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (now known as Ministry of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development), Nie Nazmi. The Minister told me that environmental protection should be in the DNA of every teenager, and through the UN arena, I would like to call on teenagers around the world to join me in protecting the environment and working together to make our global village a better place to live in.” Braden from Malaysia said. At the event, a lot of foreigners communicated with him, and his pure English and fluent eloquence amazed many of his peers. Braden’s mother also said that this trip to the United Nations was a test of his learning achievements in 51Talk.
Wachiraya Puttirodjanakun: Environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility
Wachiraya Puttirodjanakun is the youngest participant in this year’s Climate Change Conference, at the age of six. Despite her young age, she is demonstrating the importance of her actions. She said, “Although I am still very young and there are many things I can’t do, the small things around me, such as not littering, choosing to travel green, and conserving electricity are all environmental behaviours that we can easily practice. It is vital to start with the small things around us.”
This trip to the United Nations is not the first time that 51Talk young learners have been on a world-class stage. As early as 2019, 51Talk students had already presented an outstanding performance on the stage of the United Nations with full English speeches. Their fluent speaking, confident posture, and sharp views showed the world the outstanding ability and style of 51Talk students. This is an excellent proof of 51Talk’s original intention of ” making every child have the ability to talk to the world”.
The four young guests of this event demonstrated the responsibility and commitment of global youth by speaking out for environmental protection and putting their ideas into practice. For 51Talk, cultivating global excellent international talents is not only the practice of social responsibility and corporate mission, but also helping students to build the hard power of English to talk to the world, and striving for the highest stage for those students who have the power of English to show themselves, so that they can really be able to talk to the world. In addition, the climate issue is a common challenge facing the world, and everyone is responsible for it. 51Talk supports the environmental protection dreams of students from all over the world, encourages them to make their voices heard, and plants the concept of environmental protection deep in the hearts of young children, thus contributing to the cause of global environmental protection. In the future, 51Talk will continue to work hard to build more bridges for students to dialogue with the world and reach out to the global.