Washington University in St. Louis
IN-26: Innovation C

In 2011, at the behest of Washington University Students for International Collaboration on the Environment (WUSICE), an undergraduate student group, Washington University applied for and was granted admission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as a representative non-governmental observer organization. Since then, Washington University has sent official observer delegates to attend Conference of the Party (COP), ADP and intersessional meetings annually. Washington University and its associated delegates are members of the Research Institution Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO) constituency. The constituency groups consist of non-governmental organizations that are admitted as observers at sessions of the Conference, and function as a way for the secretariat and stakeholders to maintain communication and interactions. Two faculty members, Beth Martin and Anu Hittle, attend the negotiations with the student delegates each year. WUSICE provides support to student delegates to COP and plans events and speakers surrounding international climate policy. To compliment this effort, WUSICE hosts the Washington University Climate Change Negotiations (WUCCN)—a yearly conference which allows students to simulate the UNFCCC COP, acting as delegates to attempt and reach an international climate agreement. The negotiations simulate the annual UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, with each participant taking on the role of the key negotiator from one of the 197 member parties of the UNFCCC. Each WUCCN reflects the issues that will be center-stage at the Conference of the Parties, and therefore is a real-time representation and simulation of international climate issues. Students selected to attend the COP negotiations are required to present on their experiences upon return. For example, students have presented to their peers at student events, to the general public at regional climate conferences and smaller community gatherings, and to youth throughout the St. Louis community.

https://incees.wustl.edu/tag/conference-of-the-parties/