The founder of Startup Talentos Multiplus, Sofonie Dala -attended the 1st National Youth Forum on climate change| Preparation for COP28

The founder of Startup Talentos Multiplus, Sofonie Dala attended the 1st National Youth Forum on climate change - preparation for COP28

The National Youth Forum on Climate Change took place on the 18th and 19th of October 2023, where Sofonie Dala participated as an active voice of Angolan youth.

The topics discussed there were so familiar to the Female Entrepreneur that made her feel like a fish swimming in the sea. Sofonie Dala made significant contributions to this forum, she actively participated in discussions, shared her knowledge and projects focused on empowering girls, mitigating climate change and achieving the SDGs.

Furthermore, she also shone on stage by answering the SDG quiz with excellence.

Speech by Sofonie Dala

Hello world, I'm Sofonie Dala.

We are taking part in the 1st National Youth Forum on Climate Change.

Here we are witnessing young people having their voices heard, participating in discussions, workshops, round tables and quizzes as their ideas, opinions, thoughts and innovative solutions will be part of the report that Angola will present at COP28, which will soon take place in Dubai.

We also discussed gender equality and women's empowerment and how climate change negatively affects girls.

These are very important and interesting topics that were debated here and we hope that this is not the first nor the last forum of this nature, we hope that there will be more forums and that more young people will have the opportunity to participate.

As startup, we had the opportunity to share our Ladies without Plastic project , we talked about the importance of women starting to use reusable menstrual hygiene products with the aim of stopping polluting the environment.

The plastic menstrual pads we use can cause serious damage to the environment, and take thousands of years to decompose.

Our idea was welcomed and many liked it. So there is a huge need to end the bureaucracy that has been preventing startups from taking their ideas further. We ask governments and all entities to stop placing obstacles in young people's initiatives, because young people are the engines of change.

The event was marked by round tables where young people were able to delve deeper into various topics such as: The impact of climate change on young people;

Employment, entrepreneurship and green skills and climate engagement.

The event that brought together several young people was organized by the Ministry of Environment and Youth and Sports with the support of UNICEF, and is part of a set of activities that Angola carries out in preparation for COP28.

The activity that brought together leaders from the National Assembly, UN agencie, Ministries of the Environment, Youth and Sports, defense and security bodies and young people from various sectors of civil society, took place at the Paz Flor Cultural Center, and aimed to provide young Angolans with information and knowledge about climate change to facilitate preparedness for climate change-related risks and opportunities.

For two days topics such as: the transmission of messages about the main climate changes; what are the main threats that Angola is facing and needs to mitigate in the coming years, consultation with young people in preparation for COP28; and others, were presented and discussed during the event.

“There is no sustainable development without the involvement of young people”, said Zahira Virani, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Angola.

This event will serve as a precursor to Angola's participation in the Conference of the Parties (COP 28), elevating the Voice of Angolan Youth on this topic of national and global relevance”, as highlighted by the Minister of the Environment, Ana Paula de Carvalho Pereira, in her opening speech.

Sofonie Dala had the opportunity to interact with exhibitors at the venue

This young man is exhibiting their project on ecological gases using the Neutronics Ultima ID Pro device, which is used for analyzing refrigeration gases. The result must be exactly the indicator of the gas under examination, which is R22 or R410 and if the result is different it means that we are commiting an infraction.

The Neutronics Ultima ID Refrigerant Identifier will provide a fast, easy and accurate means to determine refrigerant purity in refrigerant storage cylinders or directly in vehicle air conditioning systems.

This young man is representing the OTCHIVA organization that works on the plantation. protection and restoration of Mangroves. OTCHIVA MANGAIS is a project to protect and restore mangrove wetlands.