November 20, 2025 — Belém, Brazil

The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) successfully hosted its annual High-level Event at the China Pavilion in the Blue Zone of the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) on November 20, 2025. Held during the Pavilion’s Public Day, the event marked the grand finale of this year’s ‘Climate x’ Campaign, showcasing GAUC’s growing impact in empowering youth and fostering cross-sectoral cooperation on the global climate governance stage.

The event brought together high-level representatives and climate leaders, including keynote speakers LIU Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change; Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy for Climate Change of Italy; and Jennifer Morgan, former State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, alongside leading experts and institutional partners from around the world. They joined student representatives from GAUC member universities and youth delegates who engaged in the ‘Climate x’ Campaign to celebrate the significant progress achieved in climate action and research over the past year.

High-level Guests and Youth Representatives

In the opening remarks, LI Zheng, Secretary-General of GAUC and Dean of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ICCSD) at Tsinghua University, highlighted GAUC’s mission in nurturing the next generation of climate leaders. “We provide a global platform for their growth, from the ‘Climate x’ Leadership Training Program and the Global Youth Summit on Net-Zero Future, to Global Youth Climate Week, and ultimately to the United Nations Climate Conferences—guiding their transformation into tomorrow’s sustainability champions, step by step.” ZHANG Jian, Deputy Secretary-General of GAUC and Vice Dean of ICCSD, Tsinghua University hosted the opening remarks and keynote speech session.

LI Zheng

ZHANG Jian

China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change LIU Zhenmin fully affirmed GAUC’s achievements in mobilizing higher education institutions to participate more deeply in global climate governance. “GAUC, together with partners from multiple sectors, strives to provide a nurturing environment where young people can learn, grow, and innovate—transforming ideas into action and hope into impact,” he noted. He encouraged the younger generation to continue demonstrating passion and leadership, transcending cultural and geographic boundaries to shape a sustainable future together.

LIU Zhenmin

Italy’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Francesco Corvaro underscored the universal nature of the climate crisis and emphasized that safeguarding human civilization lies at the heart of climate action. “Our primary mission is not to save the planet, but to save humanity on this planet. The Earth itself is incredibly resilient—it will survive. I am not sure we will,” he said, calling for urgent collective action.

Francesco Corvaro

Jennifer Morgan, former State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and Special Envoy for International Climate Action, highlighted the indispensable role of science as a compass for climate action and praised the dedication of young climate ambassadors. “You represent the highest level of global academic cooperation, and the essential fusion of passion and scientific rigor,” she said.

Jennifer Morgan

Following the keynote speech, high-level guests presented certificates to the 2025 cohort of the ‘Climate x’ Leadership Training Program and the GAUC Global Youth Ambassadors. The session was hosted by Alice Ho, GAUC Chief Youth Office.

Alice Ho invited the youth ambassadors to take the stage one by one to present key achievements under the Climate x Campaign in 2025, including the ‘Climate x’ Leadership Training Program, Global Youth Climate Week, the Global Youth Summit on Net-Zero Future, and GAUC COP30 Youth Delegation. Since 2022, GAUC has mobilized nearly 3,000 young leaders from 79 countries and regions, along with more than 100 universities and partnering institutions, fostering youth leadership across diverse cultural backgrounds and transforming climate learners into climate leaders. This year, 20 youth delegates from nine universities formed the GAUC Youth Delegation to COP30, participating onsite in Belém and jointly releasing the Global Youth Declaration on Climate Collaboration, demonstrating both responsibility and global vision.

Alice Ho

A thematic roundtable titled “Cross-Border Dialogue: Uniting Forces to Shape a Green Energy and Inclusive Climate Future” followed, where participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the future of climate action from an energy perspective. Distinguished participants included CHEN Deliang, Xinghua Distinguished Chair Professor at Tsinghua University, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS); Ravi S. Prasad, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and former Additional Secretary and Chief Negotiator for Climate Change of India; Prof. LI Zheng, Secretary-General of GAUC and Dean of ICCSD, Tsinghua University; FAN Wei, VP of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. (CNMC); TU Jianjun, Managing Director of Agora Energy Transition China; and ZHANG Yue, GAUC Global Youth Ambassador and student representative from Tsinghua University. The session was moderated by PENG Tianduo, Associate Professor and Director of Transportation and Industrial Transition Research at ICCSD, Tsinghua University.

The concluding session, “Youth Climate Leadership Roundtable- Accelerate Action in Real Time,” moderated by GAUC Global Youth Ambassador and Tsinghua University representative PAN Yunzhu, brought together Pedro Spadale, Head of International Relations at COPPE of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; ZHANG Jian, Deputy Secretary-General of GAUC and Vice Dean of ICCSD, Tsinghua University; Virginia Marshall, Research Fellow at the Australian National University's School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet); and ZHANG Xinyi, UN Sustainable Development Programme Coordinator. During the session, youth representatives from Tsinghua University, Yale University, and the Australian National University shared their hands-on experiences in climate action, while the senior guests offered guidance, discussed challenges and opportunities in implementing climate initiatives, and explored strategies for enhancing collaboration between higher education institutions and youth leadership.

The GAUC High-level Event concluded in a warm and constructive atmosphere. It not only highlighted GAUC’s unique role in connecting academia, policy, and youth action, but also injected fresh momentum and optimism into multi-level and cross-sectoral climate cooperation during COP30.

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