Planet Week

April 20-28 saw the Italian city of Turin and the Piedmont region as a whole transform into a vibrant climate hub for Planet Week, an initiative geared towards engaging civil society ahead of the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment. Connect4Climate partnered with Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security to deliver a dynamic program of 80+ events — including exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, roundtables, and workshops — under the Planet Week banner.

C4C oversaw a dedicated Digital Media Zone for the occasion, capturing insightful intergenerational interviews between local students and leaders from the worlds of policymaking and the private sector. Our team also supported the launch of X-Ray Fashion Upcycled, an updated, more eco-friendly version of the award-winning virtual reality (VR) documentary from our partners at MANND shedding needed light on the dark realities of garment production in the fast fashion industry.

Discussing design thinking at the inaugural Youth4Innovation event in Turin. (Credit: Alvaro Prieto, C4C)

Youth4Innovation

Planet Week also provided a fitting occasion for Connect4Climate to launch Youth4Innovation, a brand-new platform designed to promote productive collaboration on climate solutions between youth, academia, and the private sector. With an emphasis on training, capacity building, and support for bold new ideas, Youth4Innovation is well aligned with the World Bank Group’s commitment to inclusive and sustainable development on a livable planet.

The pilot event in Italy, hosted by C4C alongside the Politecnico di Torino and the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS), brought together 40+ youth and 35+ private-sector leaders for a candid and fruitful brainstorm on building a sustainable future and creating green jobs. This session served as a vital proof of concept for the platform — stay tuned for further Youth4Innovation announcements in the new year!

From the "Youth Dialogues" event at COP29. (Credit: C4C)

Connect4Climate at COP29

At this November’s COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, Connect4Climate joined forces with the COP29 Presidency Youth Climate Champion and the UNFCCC Secretariat to deliver a stimulating side event titled “Youth Dialogues: Inclusive Intergenerational Climate Finance.” This hybrid event followed on from a pair of virtual youth dialogues C4C and its partners had conducted in the run-up to the COP, building on those sessions’ work to demystify climate finance for young participants while enabling them to convey their concerns and policy priorities directly to experts.

Connect4Climate also supported the World Bank Group/Financial Times/IMF pavilion with its Expert Corner interview series, in which young climate leaders were paired with technical experts to discuss topics tying in to the daily themes of the conference. Browse the enlightening interviews in our YouTube playlist!

2024 Max Edkins Ambassadors learn about IDA in a dedicated session. (Credit: C4C)

Supporting IDA

The World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA) recently mustered a record-breaking pledging total of $23.7 billion, which will translate to $100 billion given IDA’s leveraging capabilities. These resources will be instrumental as IDA continues its work improving climate resilience, education, infrastructure and more across the 78 countries where it operates. Connect4Climate drew valuable public attention to IDA, its mission, and its fundraising efforts throughout the year.

For October's End Poverty Day, for instance, C4C released a series of videos pertaining to IDA priorities and driving international engagement. During and after COP29, C4C rolled out a second video series, this time featuring parliamentarians from all over the world discussing their priorities in policymaking in the context of IDA and its goals.

We also hosted a dedicated learning session on IDA for our alumni community and 2024 cohort of Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassadors, apprising the young attendees of IDA's central role in sustainable development worldwide and fielding their questions and ideas on how the World Bank Group can utilize this year's replenishment funds to maximum effect.

Max Edkins Ambassador Program alums. (Credit: C4C)

Continuing the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program

Our acclaimed Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program returned in 2024, equipping a fresh cohort of 150 young ambassadors from 102 countries selected from 3100+ applicants around the world with the tools needed to take their climate action to the next level and enabling them to forge valuable connections with one another in the process. Run by Connect4Climate in partnership with the Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN, a program of of the World Bank Group’s Youth-to-Youth Community), the program offers rising climate leaders incredible access to World Bank Group experts and data as well as guidance on how to most effectively make climate-positive impacts in their home communities.

In a dedicated session at the COP29, C4C and GYCN were delighted to announce the program’s extension into 2025, issuing a fresh call for applications that closed on December 16. (GYCN will be in touch with those selected as soon as the review process is finalized.) We can’t wait to meet the next cohort of Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassadors and continue to grow our incredible network of program alums!