Today the AOSIS Climate Change Fellows met with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres. The Fellows are in Bonn, Germany representing their respective countries and supporting AOSIS at the latest session of climate change negotiations.

AOSIS’s Climate Change Fellowship Program builds capacity within AOSIS countries by training the next generation of AOSIS climate change negotiators. The Fellows are nominated by their governments to serve for a year from their New York missions and attend all UNFCCC sessions.

The Fellows receive training in climate change law, science, and policy and complete a specialized course in interest based negotiation skills. At the negotiations, the Fellows are working closely with AOSIS delegates and coordinators to advance AOSIS positions for the 2015 agreement.

This year’s AOSIS Fellows are Ismail Zahir (Maldives), Simalua Enele (Tuvalu), Nellie Catzim (Belize), George Uzice (Seychelles), Isabel Monteiro (Cabo Verde), and Rennier Gadabu (Nauru). The AOSIS Climate Change Fellowship Program is funded by the European Union.