CLOSING KEYNOTES
Speakers:
Roberta Bojang, UN Youth Champion for Disarmament
Roberta Bojang recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Free University of Brussels, in which she researched the role of women-led civil society in peacebuilding processes. Prior to that, she graduated with a Bachelors in International Studies from Leiden University, researching the sustainability of Korean-led development projects in Senegal. She is a passionate youth advocate, working on the themes of gender, peace and migration, which allowed her to get selected as a UNODA youth champion for disarmament. Most recently, she took part in the establishment of the youth organisation “Union pour la Nouvelle Génération Africaine et Européenne”, that functions as a meeting point between different youth organisations from Europe and Africa to co-develop projects, share expertise and mutual understanding. She further represents youth voices within the Diaspora Advisory Board of IOM Belgium, particularly working on the theme of sustainability and climate.
Benedetta Scuderi, MEP, Green Group European Parliament
Benedetta Scuderi is an Italian MEP from Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, part of the Greens/EFA group. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainability and Energy and a master’s degree in Public Policy. In her professional life, she is a sustainability consultant for businesses. She joined Europa Verde in 2019 and co-founded Giovani Europeisti Verdi, the youth wing of the Italian Greens. She served as co-spokesperson of the Federation of Young European Greens from 2022 to 2024.
Vanessa Nakate (online), Fridays for Future Uganda
Vanessa Nakate is a climate justice activist based in Uganda, the UNICEF global goodwill ambassador and author of A Bigger Picture. Vanessa was inspired by Greta Thunberg to start her own climate movement in Uganda, and she began a solitary strike against inaction on the climate crisis in January 2019. Nakate started the Vash Green Schools Project, a renewable energy initiative, which aims to transition energy impoverished rural schools in Uganda to solar energy and install eco-friendly stoves in these schools.,Tthe project has carried out installations in over 70 schools. Nakate received the Haub law environmental 2021 Award and the the Helmut-Schmidt Zukunftspreis award in 2022.
