YouthLead Ambassador (YLA) Woody Juste is a young leader from Haiti who is motivating his peers to positively impact climate change. Woody’s passion led him to Dubai from November 30 to December 12 to attend the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the United Nations Climate Change Conference where the world’s climate leaders come together to address the climate crisis and help communities most vulnerable to climate change. Woody was one of more than 70,000 delegates selected for this year’s conference.  

“This was a very competitive program, so being selected to represent my country gave me a lot of pride,” says Woody. “Our children and the children of our children don’t deserve to live in a bad world. We as leaders have to create a better future for the next generation." 

Woody is a long-time climate activist. He helps to educate others on the effects of climate change. In July, he and fellow YLA Njoke-Tangwing Raisa Ngwenyi presented a webinar on Youth, Biodiversity, and Climate Myths, where they discussed the devastating effects of climate change on the Global South. 

This conference helped to prepare him for future engagements with youth. Connecting the next generation of like-minded, goal-oriented youth was an underlying theme at the conference. An agricultural scientist with a master’s degree in environmental and energy management, Woody, 30, says one of the most meaningful speeches he heard at the conference was from Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui. During her speech at the Dubai Youth Climate Dialogue, she said, “In the global youth dialogue, we’re from different nations and speak different languages but there is one language that we as young people understand ... and that is called climate change.”

Woody Juste attending COP28. photos courtesy of W. Juste

Woody says that his participation in COP28 was an opportunity for him to gain a deeper understanding of the COP process. He was able to get a better of fundamental climate action activities and takes great pride in the fact that he was able to advocate for his country and community and possible affect climate change strategies and decisions. 

Another important connection Woody made at the conference was a little closer to home. He met the delegation of Haiti. “When you have the opportunity to meet your delegation, you get to know who is negotiating for you. If I have a project [in the future], I can address them [now],” he says. 

COP28 was an enriching experience for Woody and he is grateful for all of the connections he has made. Next year’s COP29 will be held from November 11-14 in Baku, Abseron, Azerbaijan.