Against the backdrop of the US-Africa Summit initiated by the Biden Administration, President George Weah of Liberia met on the summits first day with the young Californian global envoy, Zuriel Oduwole, of Santa Clarita, in Washington D.C., to hear first-hand her ideas on the areas of gender development and the climate issue.

Open to building partnerships that can make a measurable difference in Liberia, Weah first congratulated Zuriel on her award received earlier in September, presented to her by the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, for her measurable development work over the last 10 years.

Weah reiterated to Zuriel his concerns about the little attention being paid to smaller nations, when it comes to the climate challenge, especially since smaller nations contribute a very small percentage of the green-house gases, compared to larger economies, who also seen to have louder voices and longer reaches, in receiving climate mitigation support and assistance.

Zuriel, who also has the ears of some G7 leaders, hopes to visit Liberia in the near future at the invitation of the government, to see, learn and experience the challenges, before proffering her solution in the gender area and climate challenges facing the nation.

Focusing on the young woman’s education advocacy, global peace and now the climate challenge currently perturbing our planet today, the 19-year-old Los Angeles County native has sat down with over 33 world leaders, from Malta to Kenya, Ghana to Croatia, Tanzania, Fiji, Malawi, Samoa, Jamaica, Bahamas, Guyana, Egypt and many more, offering her unique insight in areas valuable to our world’s gender equity, peace and sustainable development.