Thammasat Student, Thailand’s Sole Youth Rep

'Nan-Nunnaphat Pongwitoon,' a fourth-year student majoring in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Thammasat University, has been selected as the sole youth representative of Thailand to participate in the 20th Conference of Youth (COY20) and is one of the nine Thai youths who will attend the 30th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP30) from November 5-19, 2023, in Belém, Federative Republic of Brazil, which serves as an international forum on climate change. She stated that this year she has the opportunity to serve as the Project Manager for the Local Conference of Youth Thailand 2025, which is an environmental conference organized by Thai youth for Thai youth. The event aims to gather the voices of Thai youth to create a youth statement to be forwarded to the YOUNGO network at COY20 and COP30. Consequently, she has the chance to participate in the Conference of Youth (COY20), which is a global youth conference on climate change, as the sole representative from Thailand.

The Department of Climate Change and Environmental Affairs, with support from the Global Fund for Children, enabled Nunnaphat's participation as a youth representative at the COP30 side events. She effectively participated in the "Youth Participation in Climate Policy" discussion, sharing policy advocacy experiences with peers from the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. This exchange highlighted diverse methods, including social campaigns, government collaboration, and legal action. She concluded that promoting youth involvement in environmental issues is vital, as it empowers future societal drivers and upholds the fundamental human right to a quality, just, and fair environment. Through global youth exchange, Nunnaphat realized environmental issues link to social inequality, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups regarding pollution, climate change, and eco-friendly alternatives—a key call for Climate Justice at COP.

"My background in Spanish and Latin American studies provides the language skills and historical context to connect environmental issues between Southeast Asia and Latin America more effectively," Nunnaphat concluded. COP30 was vital not just for policy learning, but also highlighted education's role and youth involvement in shaping a sustainable future.