Kiwi young people will tomorrow get the opportunity to set international climate goals, report on progress and negotiate climate policy as a delegate at the country’s first-ever COP Simulation event in Auckland.

Around 30 rangatahi aged between 12 and 18 will join a simulation of COP29, the UN’s international climate meeting, held in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The event is hosted by Save the Children New Zealand, alongside partners the Education Partnership and Innovation Trust (EPIT), Youth Climate Collective, Gen Z Aotearoa and Create Happy Media.

Insights and experiences shared by youth at the event will form a statement of asks that will be presented to the New Zealand delegation travelling to COP29 to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11 to 22 November 2024 - and feed into a Global Child and Youth Statement collated by Save the Children International.

"Rangatahi are disproportionately impacted by climate change, yet our voices are among the most overlooked," says Save the Children Generation Hope Ambassador Delara.

"But through this event we have the power to change that."

During the event, youth will simulate the COP process as government and civil society representatives, participate in committee discussions, gain a deeper understanding of climate policy, and the importance of collaboration in addressing climate change.

"The world’s 2 billion-plus children are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis - an emergency that is taking lives, eroding children’s rights and threatening their future," says Save the Children New Zealand Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey.

"It was children who pushed the climate emergency up the political agenda and, as adults, we must step up and support children to implement their ideas for a better future. Children want and deserve to be heard. Their voices matter. We need to ensure a focus on children’s rights, based on children’s own views and recommendations, in climate negotiations, policies and financing at all levels."

About Save the Children NZ:

Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

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