Samuel Fonseca de Carvalho, an LLM student at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, has emerged victorious in the SUAD YOUTH COP competition, a prestigious global mock negotiation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The event, organized by Université Paris Cité (France), Universidade Federal do Ceará (Brazil), and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), in partnership with YOUNGO/UNFCCC, simulates the UN's COP negotiations, challenging students to tackle pressing climate issues such as biodiversity and just energy transition. Samuel’s exceptional skills in climate negotiations have secured him a spot at COP29, to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he will join an official panel this November entitled “Youth Voices for a Sustainable Future: Oceans, Biodiversity, and Energy at COP29.”

Held September 27–29, 2024, the SUAD YOUTH COP competition brought together teams from around the world, each representing different UNFCCC member states to negotiate and produce agreements. The intense 3-day competition is designed to foster critical skills such as teamwork, compromise, and conflict resolution—all of which Samuel demonstrated with remarkable success, winning the award for Best Team, alongside his partner Séverine Ginot from University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne, who was an exchange student at Haub Law last year. Working collaboratively, the team showcased an extraordinary balance of preparation, in-depth knowledge, and diplomatic conduct. Their ability to navigate complex issues truly set them apart as leaders in this year's competition.

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At Haub Law, Samuel is currently pursuing an LLM in Environmental Law with a specialization in Energy and Climate Change Law. In addition to being selected as a Sustainable Business Law Hub Scholar, he is a Research Assistant for the Global Center for Environmental Legal and was previously a Legal Student Researcher for the Pace Energy and Climate Center. Reflecting on his recent achievement, Samuel shared, “Participating in the SUAD YOUTH COP was an amazing learning and professional development experience. It allowed me to apply what I’ve learned at Pace in a real-world context, and I’m excited to take those lessons with me to COP29.”

Samuel’s success is a testament to the Law School’s commitment to cultivating global leaders in environmental law and advocacy who are ready to face today’s most urgent challenges. We look forward to following Samuel's journey at COP29, where his voice will contribute to shaping the future of climate action.