Day two mirrored the start of day one: a lengthy metro ride to the venue followed by more waiting in lines for entry. Although my intention was to attend the RINGO morning briefing, we didn’t arrive until 9:30 am, thirty minutes after it had begun. Acknowledging this delay, I redirected my morning towards the United States Pavilion, where John Kerry would be speaking. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get in during his speech, but I engaged in discussions on the topics he covered with others who had been inside. The next leg of my morning journey led me to the Climate Mobility Pavilion for IOM, the UN governing body concerning climate migration. There, I participated in an enlightening panel featuring heads of state from Pacific Islands and other SIDs nations, a special embassy representative of the United States, and an author from our reading in “Not Too Late!” We were also privileged to hear from the UN President of the General Assembly, Francis Davis. The panel delved into issues of state sovereignty, statehood, and the preservation of culture and heritage. Each country’s representative provided insights into the specific concerns of their island nation and the necessary path forward, whether it involved legal protection or migration strategy. A notable point was the call for legal verbiage to be included in the GST to safeguard both sovereignty and maritime economic zones in the face of rising sea levels threatening SIDs territories. Following this panel, I returned to the B1 section, the hub of formal negotiations. While wandering around the venue, some classmates and I noticed a significant gathering of people outside meeting room one. Navigating our way inside, we discovered it was part two of a meeting concerning adaptation language under a draft of the GST. It was fascinating to witness each party meticulously dissect the document word by word and paragraph by paragraph, expressing varying opinions on the language used. Different countries cared about distinct issues in the text, whether they involved additions or subtractions. As the meeting ran over an hour past schedule, I decided to conclude my day at this point. I had seen numerous Presidents, PMs, and Heads of State, participated in an exclusive high-level panel, and observed a GST negotiation. A successful Day 2!
