The annual UN climate conference kicks off in Dubai on November 30, 2023. In collaboration with the summit’s Entertainment + Culture Pavilion, we’ve prepared a list of eight cultural leaders from different fields and industries attending COP28 to keep on your radar.
Bassam Alasad (Greener Screen)
Bassam Alasad serves as the Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer at Creative Media Solutions. As a member of the Producers Guild of America, he has played a pivotal role in producing and co-producing numerous projects including films, reality shows, and digital content. Notable works include his role as an executive producer in projects like Born a King and Champions. In 2014, Alasad embarked on a journey towards green-producing, and in 2018, he co-founded Greener Screen, a media sustainability consultancy in partnership with BAFTA. Alasad’s commitment to global impact is evident through his affiliations with the Global Impact Producers Network, the Documentary Association of Europe, and The Global Climate Storytellers Network (GCSN).
In 2021, Alasad joined the Amman International Film Festival team as the Head of Industry during its second edition, further solidifying his presence in the film industry.
Habiba Abdulrahman (Trashion Kenya)
Habiba Abdulrahman (aka Habibabien.eco) is a prominent sustainability advocate, climate justice and fashion activist, and ethical content creator based in Dubai. She is dedicated to promoting climate justice and sustainable fashion, holding the title of Mrs. Earth UAE 2023.
Abdulrahman is a fashion revolutionary, the founder of Trashion Kenya, an initiative focused on youth climate education (SDG 4) and climate action (SDG 13), with a strong emphasis on reducing single-use plastics and combating fast fashion. In partnership with the Green Futures Fellowship, she spearheads an educational program to empower passionate young individuals to become future leaders in the fight against climate change.
Hoor Ahli (COP28 UAE Youth Climate Delegate)
Hoor Ahli is an ambitious Emirati youth, pioneering in the field of environmental advocacy. Ahli was selected to become one of the twenty UAE Nature Ambassadors, where she made it her mission to raise awareness for the environmental cause among her community and the international community. Her journey, which started by taking part in local beach clean-ups, has led her to participating in international conferences such as Pre-COP26, COP26, and COP27. Recently, Ahli won first place in the “Ecological and Environmental Sciences” category at the National Science, Technology and Innovation competition in the UAE, becoming a part of the UAE delegation at London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF).
Currently, she is the Director of Legacy and Impact at the Student Energy Summit 2023, as she strives to inspire and encourage students to partake in reimagining the future of energy and extend the reach of the summit. Additionally, Hoor is one of the scholars of the Earth Prize.
HE Shamma Al Mazrui (COP28 Youth envoy)
Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui was appointed as the UAE’s Minister of Community Development in the Cabinet reshuffle in February 2023. She was previously appointed as the Minister of State for Youth Affairs in February 2016 at the age of 22, making her the world’s youngest cabinet minister at the time of her appointment. Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui occupies several positions including Chairperson for UAE Special Olympics and Vice-Chair of the Arab Youth Center, in addition to her responsibilities as the Secretary General of the Education and Human Resources Council of the UAE Cabinet since 2022. At the beginning of 2023, Her Excellency Shamma Al Mazrui was assigned by His Highness Skeikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to hold the post of COP28 Youth Climate Champion as part of the incoming COP28 Presidency team, in addition to her membership in the Higher Committee of COP28, led by his Highness Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Mustafa Santiago Ali (National Wildlife Federation)
A renowned thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali serves as the Executive Vice President for the National Wildlife Federation. He is also the founder of Revitalization Strategies, a business focused on moving our most vulnerable communities from “surviving to thriving.” Ali uses a holistic approach to revitalizing vulnerable communities, and has worked with more than 500 domestic and international communities to secure environmental, health, and economic justice. Throughout his career, Ali has conducted more than 1,000 presentations across the country, including speeches, training, and guest lectures at over 100 colleges and universities. He is a former instructor at West Virginia University and Stanford University.
Farhana Yamin (Climate Justice Donor Collaborative)
An internationally recognized lawyer and climate justice activist, Yamin has provided legal and strategy advice to small island leaders and ministers on UN climate negotiations for 30 years attending nearly every COP and UN climate summit since 1991. She runs the Climate Justice and Just Transition Donor Collaborative which brings together some of the world’s largest climate philanthropies to create climate solutions that also tackle systemic inequalities. Yamin coordinates the Climate Reframe Project which seeks to amplify the voices of climate activists and experts from racialized minorities in the UK’s environmental movement. She has trained as an outdoor education leader, focusing on nature connection, including how to support racialized minorities access and enjoy green spaces.
Samata Pattinson (Black Pearl)
A British-born Ghanaian entrepreneur working across fashion, film, and media, Pattinson is passionate about cultural sustainability, and connecting the dots between people, communities and the planet in the fashion, media and education world. For 13 years, Pattinson grew and developed a women-founded organization promoting sustainability within the entertainment and design worlds. She developed the Billie Eilish Climate and Fashion focus at the singers’ London Overheated Festival, and joined COP26 as part of the SHE Changes Climate initiative, later delivering a keynote during COP27 in Egypt on Designing for Sustainability.
Samuel Rubin (Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action, ECCA)
Samuel Rubin is a force for positive change in the entertainment industry. As the Director of Impact and Partnerships at the Entertainment + Culture Pavilion, he co-founded the first-ever creative space inside the Blue Zone at COP28 in Dubai. Born and raised in Barcelona, Rubin kickstarted his journey producing films that make a difference. His documentary Colis Suspect snagged the Best First Film Prize at Tetouan’s Film Festival.
UCLA Film and Television grad, Rubin has made his mark at DeLite! Media, Prodigium Pictures, and Good Docs. He also co-founded YEA! Impact, a grassroots social impact agency, and the Hollywood Climate Summit—an international platform for eco-action in the entertainment industry. As the Chief Impact Officer at YEA!, Samuel led impactful campaigns for Hulu’s I Am Greta, Netflix’s Youth v Gov, and Sundance Now’s Since I Been Down. In 2021, he shaped the impact strategy for the Good Energy Playbook, showcasing his expertise in intergenerational and climate storytelling.
Rubin has been recognized in the 2022 Grist 50 Fixers and Forbes lists for flipping the climate change script in Hollywood.