Youth Diplomacy

Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassador Team at the United Nations

By Molly Rosaaen

Some diplomats represent more than just a country — they represent a whole movement.

In an effort to support Blue Planet Alliance’s goal of developing and sustaining youth engagement toward a 100% renewable-energy future, BPA has teamed up with Peace Boat US to create a global network of youth ambassadors.

Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassador Program launched last year in Palau, and has since grown to include young people from Palau, Seychelles, Trinidad & Tobago, and New York. And it is on the verge of expanding rapidly to many other countries around the world, as well.

My name is Molly Rosaaen, and I would like to formally introduce myself as a Peace Boat Representative, and the Youth Coordinator for the program, along with Peace Boat US Director Emilie McGlone.

I recently graduated from Pace University NYC and majored in Political Science and Gender Studies. In addition to climate-justice work, I also am active in the nuclear-disarmament space. I am on the Steering Committee as the Operations Coordinator for Youth4TPNW, a network of young people from around the world working toward nuclear abolition. The organization works toward the goals of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and creates opportunities for members to engage with one another on the topic.

Peace Boat is also a prominent organization in the nuclear-disarmament space because of its survivor-stories programs, particularly from those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I am very passionate about making sure youth voices are heard in conversations of climate justice and nuclear disarmament, so my experience thus far involves youth engagement. 

Blue Planet Alliance’s Global Ambassador Program is also bringing together young people from around the globe to connect and make genuine change within their own communities. I had the opportunity to meet many of the NYC-based Global Ambassadors at the UN Water Conference in March and also had the pleasure of moderating a panel that highlighted the program. The event consisted of a youth panel that brought representatives from different organizations and backgrounds together to share their experiences and solutions to climate issues. This panel showed the intersections between ocean conservation, climate justice, and nuclear disarmament and how we can work together toward a common goal.

There is so much excitement and eagerness for change in spaces that are led by young people and that is why I continue to support increased visibility to them. I am very  excited to be a part of Blue Planet Alliance and looking forward to exploring the possibilities our Global Ambassador Program can achieve!

Molly at the UN.