Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights participated in the first stage of Project entitled "Green Shift: Promoting Sustainable Practices & Lifestyle to the Youth" from June 22 to 30 in Yerevan, Armenia. The Project involved 8 European organizations and 1 Arab organization from countries including Greece, Armenia, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Malta, and Egypt.

Green Shift Project aims to empower young people as leaders in the sustainability movement by enhancing their understanding and providing them with practical skills. The first phase focused on "Foundations of Sustainable Life" by examining environmental issues, their causes and local impacts, as well as the roles and responsibilities of individuals in addressing these challenges.

During the first stage of Project, Maat led a session on 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the global challenges we face as well as interconnectedness of goals to ensure no one is left behind. Particular emphasis was placed on SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), as armed conflicts worldwide obstruct the global path towards peace and achievement of Goal 16, and even directly affect human rights and achievement of remaining goals; and SDG 17 (partnerships), as Sustainable Development Goals can only be achieved through a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation to ensure that no one is left behind towards development.

Marina Samy, Director of Public Relations and Media Unit at Maat, stressed that environmental sustainability is a critical global challenge, and that Green Transformation Project paves the way for ambitious steps towards achieving environmental sustainability, by equipping young people with the skills, tools, and vision necessary to transform themselves into leaders within their local communities. Sami further stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to make environmental sustainability a core principle of social responsibility.

Kenzi Osama, a researcher at Maat, noted that protecting the environment is an integral part of the development process, and that the "Green Transformation" project aims to achieve this through promoting sustainable consumption practices and resource protection. This will ensure that the needs of both current and future generations are met.

Notably, the "Green Shift" Project is funded by European Commission's Erasmus+ program, which aims to enhance young people's understanding of sustainability and equip them with practical skills, involving nine organizations from nine countries: Armenia, Greece, Malta, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia, Hungary, Egypt, and Georgia.