Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar enters partnership to push forward campaign on climate change

A registered climate change and environment-based NGO in Qatar has forged a strategic partnership with an advertising firm to accelerate online and social media campaigns for climate change engagement in the country.The Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar (AYCMQA) and Futad Advertising sealed the partnership, which calls for the use of social media engagement and campaigns for individuals in Qatar to learn, engage, and take action for a more sustainable future.“Communication campaigns play a key role in shaping what people think, feel, and do about climate change, and help shape public agendas at the local, national, and international levels,” said AYCMQA executive director Neeshad Shafi.According to Shafi, “Over $500bn” is spent yearly on media advertising, returning significant profit to the media and adverting industry involved in the buying and selling of advertising space. But with the current growing awareness of the gravity of the climate crisis, advertisers, consumers, and industry leaders increasingly want to be part of the solution, he said.“The climate emergency urges us to find new ways to expand and accelerate the rising tide of public support for climate action, especially in an increasingly social media and content landscape. “By reaching a mainstream audience in Qatar and region, we see huge potential in this partnership’s capacity to ensure AYCMQA’s message of the importance and opportunities of climate action reaches many more people worldwide,” Shafi explained.He stressed that the joint initiative will be contributing towards the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) of UN Sustainable Goals and in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular focus on SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and SDG 13 Climate Action.“In light of worsening climate impact around the world and strong public concern about the climate crisis, the UN is stepping up the engagement of its global audiences, calling on everyone everywhere to turn the recovery from Covid-19 into an opportunity to do things right for the future,” Shafi added. Futad Advertising co-founder & managing partner Mirsab al-Rahman added: “While there are now high levels of awareness of climate change, there still remains confusion and misinformation about what actions are necessary. We are happy for the partnership with AYCMQA and we are proud to support the Arab Youth Climate Movement in this important mission.”