We had a blast at our Training Weekend! We leave for Warsaw in a week - here we reveal some of our thoughts and feelings ahead of the trip.
UN Climate Change Conference Training Weekend
This weekend we had a great time meeting our COP 19 delegates Natalie, Saskia, Lisa and Jerome for their Training Weekend at AUT Business School in Auckland.
The delegates were fortunate enough to hear from experts Jim Salinger, an Auckland-based climate scientist and author of the new book Living in a Warmer World, Barry Coates, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand, and Geoff Keey, Global Campaign Coordinator for Climate Action Network International, about the policy outcomes they should expect from the Conference.
Delegates also learned more about the logistics of the Conference, which will host 9,000 people in Warsaw over the course of two weeks, and about what to expect from the annual Conference of Youth which will take place in the final days before the negotiations commence.
Another highlight was Skyping fellow Kiwi youth from the New Zealand Youth Delegation (NZYD) at their training session in Wellington. NZYD sends a delegation of young New Zealanders to COP each year.
Our delegates will leave in exactly one week, after a morning briefing with the Government’s climate change negotiators on Monday.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Sarah Trotman and AUT Business School for allowing us to use the beautiful Sir Paul Reeves building for our training.
Saskia McCulloch: A Celebrity's Opinion.
I've just returned home after an amazing few days in Auckland with the rest of my delegation to COP19. The weekend in a phrase was “brain exploding”, but exhilarating for all. The weekend was filled with talks, presentation and discussions both within the delegation and with (incredibly) valuable minds. They were excellent in providing us with insight into the processes at the conference, and up to date information about the science behind climate change. I am so thankful to all these people for taking the time to share their wisdom with us!
Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute holds official launch
Last night, the Aotearoa Youth Leadership Institute held its official launch event in Auckland. The audience, hosted by AUT Business School, heard from members of each of this year’s delegations.
Korey Te Hira shared his experience of attending the World Trade Organisation Public Forum in Geneva in October, and Charlie Lin spoke about meeting his fellow delegates to the upcoming Pacific Youth and Sports Conference in Noumea at their training weekend last month. While he couldn’t come to Auckland for the event, Jerome Cameron, from our UN Climate Change Conference delegation, also shared his reaction to being chosen this week to join the Institute in Warsaw this December:
The Institute extends its thanks to the AUT Business School and Dr Geoff Perry for their support in hosting this event, and to Sarah Trotman for her key role in making it possible.
Take a look here for more photos from the night.
UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 19) delegation selected
The Institute would like to congratulate those who have been selected to attend this year’s round of the United Nations climate change negotiations in Warsaw, Poland in November.
Well done to Jerome Cameron, Lisa McLaren, Saskia McCulloch and Natalie Jones!
Departing Geneva
Geneva is a city that has much to offer to travellers, so I tried to fit in as much as I could into the three days I had before leaving. I learnt about some of the history of Old Geneva, particularly its important role in the Reformation through the likes of Martin Luther and John Calvin. Its bohemian district Carouge had plenty of patisseries and cafes for me to eat at, and was only a short train ride from the city centre. Also, there was an exhibition about the pharaoh Tutankhamen in town which included exact replicas of his entire tomb and the possessions within it. Before I knew it I was on my way to the airport for my flight back home. I had a truly wonderful time in Switzerland and learnt a lot about the main issues and topics in international trade circles. I want to thank AYLI for selecting me to attend the 2013 WTO Public Forum and for all their help in organising what was a fantastic experience. Also I want to thank Fonterra who generously sponsored me to attend the forum, as without them none of this would have been possible.
All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.
For official Institute updates, take a look here.
WTO Public Forum Day 3
As day three rolled around, I had already learnt so much but was keen to cap off the week with one last full day. Most of the speakers on this day built upon the mains themes of the forum, namely the increasing importance of trade in services (specifically over the internet) to national economies, the need for WTO rules to be updated in light of this and the opportunities for greater economic growth and poverty relief that the digital economy presents, especially for less developed regions in the world.
Some speakers and sessions however decided to focus on different issues. For example, one was exclusively concerned with online information security i.e. what are the present risks, what individuals can do to protect personal and business information from security breaches, as well as a case study in how one multi-national company has introduced a comprehensive product tracking and systems to protect is goods as they’re traded around the world. Breaking away from ideas that had been discussed extensively for the past two days was somewhat refreshing and rounded off the forum well. As the final session came to a close, I felt satisfied that I had got all I could have out of the forum and had met some important and influential people along the way. However, I was looking forward to doing some sightseeing in the time I had left.
All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.
For official Institute updates, take a look here.
WTO Public Forum Day 2
Rolf Heuer, Director General of CERN, was the keynote speaker for the second day’s plenary session. There were a lot of confused faces when he got up to speak, all asking the same question “What has physics got to do with international trade?”. Mr Heuer’s speech turned out to be one of the most interesting I listened to over the course of the forum. He spoke about how discoveries and breakthroughs in physics have underpinned the creation of new technologies that are used every day to manage the transport, tracking and safety of goods and services moving around the world. Furthermore, he discussed how important the research they are currently doing at CERN will be to the world economy in the future, even in ways we cannot right now foresee.
This idea of technological innovation being crucial to improved efficiency of trade was complemented by the idea that innovation need not necessarily be in electronics/technology. Another speaker pointed out that one of the most important innovations which has helped facilitate trade was the creation of standardised shipping container sizes. This has made the process of storing, transporting and offloading bulk goods much easier, as heavy machinery could be designed to match the container specifications exactly. It was on this day that I also met a senior member of New Zealand’s permanent mission to the WTO and UN. His insights into the conversations between country delegates over trade disputes and negotiations were very interesting given it revealed what incentives and factors influence these situations.
All posts by Institute delegates reflect their own thoughts, opinions and experiences, and do not reflect those of the Institute.
For official Institute updates, take a look here.