From the Classroom to Climate Talks: Student Reflections from the June Climate Meetings

Every June, countries party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) make an annual stop in Bonn for the June Climate Meetings. Here, the parties continue the work decided at the previous Conference of the Parties (COP) held each November.  

Officially called the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs), these meetings are smaller and meant for getting the legwork done. They are crucial and often work on heavy items, such as climate finance or the implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation, continue. Its size allows for an intimacy that the big conference does not, which is helpful for negotiators and scientific experts, but also for those new to or learning the processes of international climate policymaking.  

For students of the Joint Master’s Programme of Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security, this can be the case. With the meetings taking place just below the UN Campus, at the World Conference Center in Bonn, the action happens at the programme’s doorstep.  

Delegates have access to the UN campus during the meetings and literally walk the same halls as students for two weeks. It can be an inspiring moment for the students who learn about the process in their joint master’s courses and even participate in a mock COP.  

One moment, they are learning the processes and key roles, such as the COP President, and the next, they are watching the actual COP President move between meetings on campus.  

Each year, the Master’s Programme organizes a talk by delegates and staff of the UNFCCC at the UN Campus, who share their knowledge of the process. The discussion is always an insightful one that allows students to learn the nuances a textbook cannot teach. The topic this year was just transition and equity.  

“Hearing from people involved in the negotiations is incredible,” said student Elisha Darko of Ghana. “We often hear the geopolitical sides of things on the news, but we got a glimpse behind the curtain. I like how they highlighted the importance of countries fulfilling their commitments and preparing for climate impacts.”