In collaboration with the United Nation’s Resident Coordinator’s Office in Baghdad and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) organized a seminar on the UN Secretary-General’s landmark speech on energy transition and climate action, titled “Moment of Opportunity”. The seminar featured a screening of the speech and an expert panel discussion on the matter, emphasizing the national interest and economic opportunity in adopting public policies aimed at achieving environmental sustainability.
AUIB President, Dr. Bradley Cook, welcomed the audience, among whom were Dr. Jassim Al-Falahi, Deputy Minister of Environment; Mr. Ghulam Isaczai, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator; Mr. Kar Hung Antony Tam, Head of Education and Officer-in-Charge at UNESCO; and Ambassador Dr. Farid Yassin, member of AUIB’s Board of Trustees. “I could not be more excited and honored to start my tenure out in this university (by being) part of hosting this dialogue that has such a global and regional importance,” remarked President Cook, considering the UN Secretary-General’s message “a call to higher ambition and a stronger national commitment and faster action, as we work towards COP30,” and asserting that “AUIB is very serious” about the issues of climate change, energy transition, and environmental sustainability.
“As a university that is committed to national development, we are investing in institutional knowledge, our own technical capacities around these areas, and really a cross-sectoral collaboration to support Iraq’s climate goals,” added President Cook, highlighting in this regard the initiatives and all the good efforts on part of AUIB’s Center for Climate Change, Water Security, and Environmental Sustainability, and also the university’s Center for Excellence, Innovation, and Development (CEID), in collaboration with governmental institutions and international partners. These efforts aim at delivering relevant training to concerned parties, contributing to policy dialogue, and most importantly, “equipping the next generation with the tools and understanding to lead Iraq to a more sustainable and resilient future,” he concluded.
Mr. Isaczai emphasized the importance of academia in promoting climate-related issues, lauding AUIB as “an excellent platform to speak on climate change,” and calling for a new approach to environmental sustainability, viewing “climate action not as a burden, but as economic opportunity” in the form of investment in renewable energy projects. He also recognized AUIB’s Center for Excellence, Innovation, and Development (CEID) as “a platform for inter-generational exchange and civic engagement,” affirming the UN’s readiness to help Iraq achieve its environmental policy objectives.