Find out more
COP28 UAE in Dubai will see pupil Kiera S deliver a youth declaration to senior officials. She will attend alongside Ana Romero, Head of Sustainability for Wellington College. The declaration is based on the findings of a ‘Mock COP’ organised by pupils from Wellington and other local partner schools in June. Wellington’s family of schools have endorsed the declaration uniting more than 6000 student voices. It will be shared with the UKSSN (UK Sustainable Schools Network) and other partner networks before COP28 to encourage young people to join together for a unified voice.
Wellington has a proud history of attending COP, starting at COP25 in Madrid where Ana Romero was invited to participate in a UNESCO panel event. The following year, pupils
Cindy and Georgina travelled to Glasgow for COP26, taking part in activities in the Blue Zone and delivering a manifesto to the presidency. On their return they gave video interviews and got involved in post-COP discussions, sharing their tips on how to live more sustainably.
Due to security concerns in Sharm el-Sheikh, Ana attended COP27 by herself but sent updates from the conference which were disseminated through the Sustainability Committee to the wider Wellington Community and the UKSSN. Ana is regularly invited to the Blue Zone through her work as Educator and Senior Advisor to the Mexican Government in climate matters for the UN’s Capacity-Building and for Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE).
COP28 marks a significant halfway point, being seven years since Paris and seven years to go until 2030. Kiera — who is Sustainability and Climate Ambassador at Wellington College — will spend two days in Dubai, delivering the manifesto on 8th December which is Youth, Children, Education and Skills day. As well as having 1-1 meetings with officials and potentially with the UK Department for Education in person, she will also have the chance to participate virtually in a high-level session organised by Wellington College and the Latin American Observatory for Climate Action (OLAC) on 1st December. The session will be part of the Greening Education Hub.
Entitled Successful South- South- North collaboration in Capacity Building practices to promote regional and international synergies on ACE for the successful implementation of its action plan’ the panel session will bring together several high-level delegates alongside Keira, including:
- Camila Zepeda Head of the Mexican delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Beatriz Charis, Mexican youth indigenous people climate representative;
- Peter Kent, President of the International Confederation of Principals and key driving force of the OECD Schools+ Network
- Carola Mejia, General Coordinator of OLAC
Ana Romero and Danaé Espinoza, General Coordinator of Climate Justice Cluster (OLAC) will facilitate the event.
Ana Romero said “COP28 represents a huge opportunity to advance the climate agenda. Our participation in these international negotiations highlights that no voice is too small to be listened to and that youth participation in the processes is fundamental to save the threatened future of our planet. We are striving to achieve Climate Action Accountability and education plays a key role in promoting intergenerational equity and citizens climate diplomacy.
I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact of our representation at COP here at Wellington. Pupils have not only been empowered to take action at the school but have also actively organised events within the local community, such as ‘Mock COP.’ Through these initiatives, they share their knowledge and experiences, contributing to the empowerment of others through education. Children often harbour significant anxiety about the future. However, through our proactive efforts, taking action, and sharing knowledge, we not only address their concerns but also instil a sense of hope.”
At Wellington, we are committed to contributing to national efforts to be net zero by 2030 and there are plenty of operational initiatives already in place to reduce our carbon footprint. These include solar heating, reducing food waste and maintaining conversation areas on campus which are important for biodiversity. Climate education and sustainability also remain a key focus of the curriculum and the co-curricular Sustainability Programme. Pupils are encouraged to take ownership through a Sustainability Committee, Sustainability Prefects and a dedicated Sustainability Day.
In Ana Romero’s new international role, as Head of Sustainability for Wellington College International, she plans to build a common vision across all of the global Wellington schools in the UK, China, India and Thailand. She is forming a board of representatives and will support them in building sustainability pledges and climate action plans for each school. She also hopes to bring a delegation of representatives from the global Wellington community to the green zone at each future COP.
Find out more about Sustainability at Wellington
