ATHENS COP SIMULATION

Athens COP Simulation is one of the main activities of the Jean Monnet Module "European Climate Diplomacy" (a project with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU). Athens COP Simulation is a simulation of the Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Prior to the simulation, three preparatory lectures will take place that will provide a thorough knowledge and understanding of the COP and the EU institutional framework, the decision-making and legislative processes as well as specialized information about the topic to be discussed.

During the simulation, participants will be assuming the role of UNFCCC members’ representatives, promoting their policy positions and negotiating on a contemporary policy issue related with EU external action, climate change policy and their correlation. Preparation of participants is crucial for achieving high-level performance and active involvement of students and, therefore, meeting the goals of the simulation.

The primary educational goal of the Athens COP Simulation is to raise awareness among young people about contemporary related with EU and international climate change policy and EU external action. They will acquire useful knowledge for their academic and professional career. Moreover, the participants will gain valuable experience on negotiation, legislative and the day-to-day business of the UNFCCC COP processes and the role of the EU, as well as of the major EU member states. The additional benefits that students will acquire include the improvement of their public presentation skills through public voicing of their ideas. Great emphasis is given to the respect towards the interlocutor and the use of dialogue as the only means of resolving disputes. Participation in such a simulation conference can benefit students in many different ways, not only in strictly educational terms, but also with the development of soft skills that can prove useful to them in the long term and in a variety of professional and other settings.