Time flies! Last week, with the support of the World Meteorological Organization, we held a side event at the Science for Climate Action Pavilion during the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

 

At this event, we proudly launched our new COPE Heatwaves book, which was relevant to this year’s conference. We hosted an inspiring panel discussion with some of our key collaborators from UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, and the  World Meteorological Organization. The panelists shared their opinions about the important role of children in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the new book.

 

In their latest adventure, the COPE squad embarks on an adventure to the WMO headquarters in Geneva to learn about climate and environmental issues. Then, they travel to the city of Paris to discover how the city implements their ‘climate action plan’ to help deal with heatwaves. In this new book, children learn about heatwaves, their impact on communities, and how to be prepared by following the key message: STAY COOL AND HYDRATED.

 

‘Heatwaves’ was written in collaboration with the City of Paris and the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. UNICEF East Asia and Pacific supplied additional editorial guidance on children’s rights perspectives, while expert weather advice was provided by COPE’s Scientific Advisors – The WMO, The Hong Kong Observatory and Meteo France.

 

The COPE team thanks DRR guidance from the University of Oxford, particularly Dr Diana Mangalagiu, UNESCO, for supplying additional advice on concepts related to World Heritage, and the University of Brasilia for their ongoing advice on LSB sign language.

 

We had an incredibly positive response to the event and the COPE concept, with key highlights including:

 

• Held fruitful meetings and exchanges with so many existing and new contacts.

• Visited the first Children and Youth pavilion, shared our content and received firsthand feedback. 

• Straightened relationships with key collaborators 

• Provided all participants of our side event a copy of the Heatwaves book, available in English and French.