Apply to be a COP30 Delegate!

Opportunity

Are you passionate about making change? Are you keen to learn more about how international negotiations work? Are you determined to ensure that young people are included in the process of climate policy- and decision-making? 

The Future Leaders Network is seeking passionate young people to represent us as part of our delegations to COP30.

What is COP30?

COP30 is the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference. It will be held in Brazil. These annual conferences serve as the formal meeting of the parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to assess progress in dealing with climate change. Every year we send UK youth delegates to the summit to ensure the views of the UK’s young people are heard in climate negotiations.

Who can apply

We welcome applications from young people from all parts of the U.K., and from all backgrounds. We want the U.K.'s delegates to the COP to be representative of the full diversity of U.K. youth.

The only eligibility criteria you must satisfy are:

• You must be aged 18 - 30 by 31 January 2025;

• You must be a U.K. citizen OR have lived in the United Kingdom for 5 years; and

• You must be able to fully commit to the full term and time commitment of the opportunity.

We gather diversity data for equality monitoring purposes only - we DO NOT use it to determine the outcome of your application.  Your diversity data will be treated in the strictest confidence, in accordance with our Privacy Notice, and will not affect the outcome of your application in any way.

What we are looking for

Please carefully read through the Opportunity Descriptions to understand what being a delegate involves:

• COP Delegate Opportunity Description

Throughout the application process we will be assessing you against the Essential Criteria as set out in the Opportunity Description. You should feel free to bring evidence from all parts of your life - personal, professional, voluntary etc. There is no 'right answer' - all we're looking for is evidence against each of the Essential Criteria, which can come from any sector or any experience you have had.

You are encouraged to  adopt the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to give specific examples when you have demonstrated the Essential Criteria. Remember to be specific about what actions you took, and the impact you had.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the application form here. In the application form you will be directed to answer the following questions.

Q1 - This question has two parts.

a. Tell us about why you would like to become a COP30 delegate and how would it progress your personal and professional ambitions. 

b. What skills have you gained from you experiences to date that would make you a great COP30 delegate. 

You have 500 words in which to answer both parts of the question. You can choose how many words you would like to use to answer each part but the two parts together must be 500 words or less.

Q2 - Tell us about a time you have made a positive change in the world. What was the problem, how did you resolve it and what was the impact? 

You have 500 words to answer this question.

Application Timeline

Please pay close attention to the following timeline and note that you must be available to complete the various stages of the application process at the following times:

Written applications must be submitted by 23:59 GMT on 10 December 2024. Applications submitted after this time will not be considered.

Finalists will be invited to a final round of interviews on 16-18 January 2025.

At present we expect to offer interviews virtually. You must be able to submit your video and to attend a final round interview on the designated dates - we cannot extend deadlines or alter interview times, except for in exceptional circumstances.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments and a member of the team would be delighted to speak with you to discuss more details. If you have any questions about the process please contact hello@futureleaders.network.

Information panels

To further demystify the experience of being a delegate and the process of applying to become one, we have organised the following information sessions:

- Panel with Geopolitics and Economic Delegates (28 November, click here for joining info)

- Panel with Climate Delegates (8 December, click here for joining info)

Terms and Conditions

All applications will be kept in accordance with our Privacy Policy and by submitting an application you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions.

Good luck!