Yong Ly: Kiwis doing more than their fair share

If there's one thing I've noticed, it's that Kiwi delegates from AYLI at COP and the ADP seem to punch well above their weight when it comes to getting involved. Yeah, we're pretty awesome.

At COP in Lima and at this ADP session, it seemed that Kiwis were always among the first to put their hand up to volunteer for something. Whether it's writing articles for ECO, helping out on the editorial board, getting involved in Working Groups with YOUNGO or with CAN, or taking part in actions, AYLI delegates always seem to get involved and make the most of it.

Other delegations are often surprised by how big our delegations are given the size of our country and how far away we are, but I think it's the fact that each one of our delegates will often be involved in lots of different things so it seems like we have more people than we actually do.

Perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that we've travelled a long way and at great expense to come here so we want to get the most out of the experience that we can, or maybe it's because we don't like that awkward silence that happens when people are asking for volunteers, but I'm sure that a lot of it is just because we're Kiwi and from the looks of it, we're definitely doing more than our fair share, at least as far as AYLI delegates go. 

All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.

Posted on October 23, 2015 and filed under UN Climate Talks 2015, Institute Updates.