COP28 FLN DELEGATION 2023
arianna abdul-nour
Co-Chair
Having studied International Relations in England, Norway and France, Ari currently applies lessons learnt about inclusion, good governance and equity to her role at the United Nations Association, engaging young people in diplomacy and equipping them with the necessary tools to become the next generation of change makers.
She is also a researcher at the John Locke Institute and the European Institute of Research and Human Rights, and has been selected as UK delegate to the 2023 UN Commission on the Status of Women.
With broad experience in NGO, legal and governmental sectors (in the UK and Canada), Ari has accumulated a range of skills related to humanitarian research and meaningful social impact. More specifically, her academic and professional career has focused largely on migration and diaspora. This has seen her publish an empirical longitudinal paper on the relationship between internal displacement and social identity in the Refugee Law Initiative Journal, research which inspired her current volunteering role teaching English to refugees in a camp in Azraq, Jordan.
Ari has developed an interest in the intersection of the SDG’s, particularly the relationship between the human crisis and the climate crisis. She is honoured by the opportunity to represent the UK at the 28th COP summit, in order to bridge the disconnect between our understanding of international crises and actionable, durable steps to solve them. She hopes to work towards filling lacunas and stalemates of debates in international dialogue by shaping policy for the future of young people, that is informed by young people.
Co-Chair
Patrick is a policy advisor in renewable energy and is determined to use his career to tackle climate change. He is also the founder of a climate-tech startup called Attlas, a green loyalty programme which helps businesses and their customers plant trees.
Prior to working in climate change, Patrick taught maths at a secondary school, completing the Teach First leadership development programme. It was in this role that he realised the importance of young people having a voice in the issues that matter most to them.
Patrick has an MSc in Climate Change from King's College London and a BSc in Engineering and Business from the University of Warwick. He is interested in renewable energy and a just transition, strategies for carbon dioxide removal, and knowledge-making in a global context to inform policymakers.
The most exciting thing about being a COP28 delegate for Patrick is the chance to work with other countries to tackle a shared problem. In particular, the opportunity to learn about the way collective agreement is secured and how nations jostle for their priorities to be adopted.
Outside of work, Patrick has completed many fundraising challenges, with highlights including a trek across volcanoes in Guatemala, hitch-hiking across Europe, and cycling from London to Paris. He is also a huge fan of the best football club in North London, a persistently inconsistent runner, and a reader of all things climate, politics, and songs of ice and fire.
patrick lavery
ashish ramuni
Ash is a current UK Civil Service Fast Streamer driven by positive social impact. He is curious, sociable and purposeful.
He has experience working across various departments and policy areas, such as Mental Health, Digital Health/Technology, Social Investment, Social Action, DEI Policy, and Tax policy, as well as being an experienced facilitator through frontline youth work. Working on delivering the Prime Minister's Points of Light award for exceptional volunteers stoked his respect and desire for working in social impact, while he also wrote box notes directly for the PM. He has also advocated for young people's interests to senior minsters, civil servants and royals, most regularly on behalf of NCS. He is particularly proud to deliver hugely successful workshops to hundreds of civil servants on Tackling Microaggressions, promoting openness and honesty to boost inclusion, and a series of other workshops to help people understand, accept and bring the best out of themselves- though he's often the one most in need of such a confidence boost.
He is excited to exercise skills in policy development and international engagement, having previously been a UK Delegate to the Commonwealth Youth Forum, especially as Climate Change necessitates a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding its causes and achieving its solutions.
Born in India and growing up in Manchester, Ash studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Warwick, ranking among the top in his year. This makes him especially susceptible to existential crises, so handle with care. He particularly enjoyed leading the Warwick team to victory in the nationwide Grand Economics Debate against the top universities in the country and a year studying abroad in Tokyo, though this was cut short by the pandemic.
Perhaps this explains his passion for languages and etymology, having learnt 9 languages and 7 scripts. He also has a keen interest in sports and exercise, having practiced karate for many years, and religion and spirituality, as regular meditator, which somewhat helps with the existential crises. Loving food is also a pretty big part of his personality and major source of joy in life.
Rachel Ojo is a finalist at the University of Oxford studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).
She has a deep interest in issues affecting young people and has been actively involved in national campaigns from a young age. She has served as a member of the UK Youth Parliament and even delivered a speech in the house of commons marking the centenary of women receiving the right to vote.
Rachel also led a national campaign in her role as chair of the UK select committee on Knife crime in parliament. She helped deliver a report of recommendations to the government on how best to tackle the issue. She passionately spoke on national media about knife crime and received a BBC Teen Hero award recognising her dedication.
During her time as Vice-President of the Oxford union, Rachel used her platform to explore global politics, interviewing high profile individuals from across the globe on a range of current issues. She also worked as a consultant on the house of commons BAME advisory group, helping to direct the strategy used by senior members to promote inclusiveness in the workplace.
Rachel is excited to be representing the voices of young people at COP28. Having previously worked closely with the US embassy and decision makers in the UK on climate change strategies, she is keen to learn more about global affairs through networking with stakeholders as well as engaging all young people in order to create meaningful and lasting policy changes.
