COP27 UK YOUTH DELEGATION 2022
ANNA GARDNER
Anna is a final year Geography student at the University of Cambridge. She is particularly interested in policies to tackle intersecting social and environmental inequalities across themes of food and agriculture. Her interest in food systems emerged from an internship with TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 (Transforming India’s Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies). During this process of knowledge exchange between researchers in the UK and India she was responsible for researching justifications and methods for supporting agriculture in India.
Anna’s passion for amplifying young voices is reflected in her work as an author with ClimaTalk: an international group of volunteers seeking to demystify climate policy, especially in relation to COP. She writes regular articles on topics ranging from the sustainability of a Universal Basic Income to the environmental impacts of the cocoa industry.
Enthusiastic about opportunities for social impact, Anna has also volunteered as a consultant with Bridges for Enterprise and the Global Research and Consulting Group. In these roles, she has worked with African NGOs and Startups on improving financial access and setting up women’s agricultural co-operatives.
Anna is honoured to take part in the FLN COP27 delegation. She is excited to represent young people on the international stage and to learn from and with the other delegates.
Marc is a young professional in the international humanitarian field, working primarily on human rights policy and practice. Marc was born in Algeria, raised in France and adopted by British parents, instilling an early global-citizenship and awareness of migration and human mobility.
Marc first developed an interest in youth participation through formative work with Cardiff Youth Council, and the national network which would eventually transform into Wales' first Youth Parliament. Marc's activism included consulting with authorities on the 'dual regard' system to mainstream young peoples' needs into national policy formulation, actively campaigning for a reduced voting age, and engaging with elected officials on how to increase youth participation in the democratic process.
Marc chose to develop this interest though his university studies in human rights law, before moving to Malta where he applied his energy and motivation to Search and Rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean. Over the next few years, Marc widened his exposure to migration phenomena and inclusive policy advocacy with traineeships in the UN system, the European Union, and the Council of Europe, where he contributed to the development of best-practice tools on alternatives to detention, family reunification, and the protection of minors in asylum procedures.
Marc is excited to apply both his understanding of high-level policy development negotiations, and climate-related displacement & insecurity, to channel a youth-led, youth-focussed voice into meaningful outcomes at the COP27 summit in Egypt.
