YSE Students Join Global Climate Talks at COP30

When Almira Azhibekova ’27 MEM arrives in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, she won’t just be observing from the sidelines. As part of Kazakhstan’s official delegation with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, she’ll help advance conversations on climate finance and the circular economy, supporting events that showcase her country’s push toward green investment and decarbonization. For Azhibekova, the conference offers a chance to learn from international leaders and see global cooperation up close.

“My work will focus on supporting the delegation’s activities related to climate finance and circular economy initiatives and helping to organize side events that highlight Kazakhstan’s green investment and decarbonization efforts,” Azhibekova said.

This year’s annual U.N. climate summit comes at a critical juncture for the climate crisis, with U.N. Secretary General António Guterres stating just last month that the world will fail to limit warming to below 1.5°C above preindustrial levels in the next few years. Against that backdrop, delegates will work to accelerate climate finance, ramp up adaptation measures, protect biodiversity, and elevate Indigenous knowledge and traditional land management practices into official climate policies.

Over the two-week conference, YSE and Yale students working with NGOs and country delegations will gain invaluable experience in multilateral climate diplomacy, including firsthand knowledge of how proposals move from negotiation rooms to global commitments and on-the-ground implementation.

As they prepared to travel to Belém, several students talked to YSE News about their roles and what they hope to learn from their experiences at COP30.

Almira Azhibekova ’27 MEM

At YSE, Azhibekova studies how finance and policy can drive sustainability, a focus she’ll carry with her to COP30. There, she hopes to learn more about how international commitments translate into tangible outcomes for developing nations.

“COP30 will allow me to witness the mechanisms that make cooperation possible amid diverse interests and capacities," Azhibekova said. “I want to learn how developing countries like Kazakhstan can access climate finance and technology while building equitable partnerships.”

Sherab Dorji ’27 MEM/MPP

Sherab Dorji will join the delegation from the Royal Government of Bhutan, supporting discussions on climate finance access and the implementation of adaptation activities. Her work will focus on analytical and logistical support to advance Bhutan’s advocacy for fair and efficient access to finance, particularly highlighting the challenges faced by small, mountainous, and recently graduated non-LDC countries — nations that have moved out of the United Nations’ Least Developed Country category but still face significant economic and environmental vulnerabilities.

“In class, we often examine international climate diplomacy through a theoretical lens,” Dorji said. “Through my participation in COP, I hope to experience how negotiations unfold in real time and better understand the complexities of the multilateral process for achieving global climate justice.”

She is particularly interested in how countries like Bhutan, which was the first country to become carbon-negative, can navigate the complex processes required to access adaptation finance and how civil society, academia, and multilateral agencies are developing innovative mechanisms for resilience and ecosystem-based solutions.

“Representing Bhutan on such a global platform is an honor, and I aim to contribute to my country’s long-term climate finance strategy by translating COP outcomes, particularly around loss and damage and just transition, into actionable policy recommendations that strengthen local resilience and equity while also expanding my network of like-minded professionals in the climate space,” Dorji said.

Osman Goni Raju ’27 MEM

As part of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) delegation, Osman Goni Raju will engage with the Bangladesh delegation and the Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO) constituency group, contributing to discussions on climate policy and implementation and following up on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and outcomes from COP29. The NCQG sets a target for mobilizing climate finance for developing countries, aiming to scale support to at least $300 billion per year by 2035, and COP30 will focus on how these commitments are delivered, tracked, and made accessible to vulnerable communities.

“At COP30, I hope to deepen my understanding of climate finance architecture, carbon markets, and just transition pathways,” Raju said. “I’m especially interested in seeing how mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund and the Global Goal on Adaptation can be operationalized to support communities on the frontlines of climate change.”

Umer Vaqar ’26 MEM

Umer Vaqar will attend COP30 as a Party Delegate, an accredited member of Pakistan’s official negotiating team — closely collaborating with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC). In this role, he will support the delegation’s negotiation and technical preparation on adaptation, climate finance, and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which is a framework under the Paris Agreement to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability to climate change.

He also will help coordinate the COP30 Pakistan Youth and Expert Support Network, which links young researchers and technical advisors to the delegation’s policy work.

“I hope to understand how multilateral negotiations translate from text to implementation,” Vaqar said. “Engaging directly with negotiators and international partners will help me see how political, legal, and financial systems interact to shape outcomes under the Paris Agreement.”

At YSE, Vaqar’s research focuses on climate finance and resilience economics, examining how risk and adaptation are priced into emerging markets. This academic foundation, he noted, informs his approach to linking data-driven resilience metrics with financial negotiations.“After COP, I plan to integrate these lessons into my ongoing research on Resilience-Adjusted Risk frameworks for the Global South and help strengthen evidence-based policymaking for Pakistan’s climate institutions," he said.