Rotary heads to Glasgow

Maidenhead: Judith Diment leads delegation at international COP26 summit

A Maidenhead figure is leading the Rotary International delegation at COP26 to learn more about how to help community groups battle climate change.

Judith Diment, dean of Rotary representatives to the UN, is heading up an official delegation of five people this year to learn as much as it can to ‘put Rotary on the environment map’.

Rotary International has attended other COP summits in previous years but this is the first time it has sent a full delegation, part of its increased environmental commitment.

In July last year, the Rotary International board introduced the environment as its seventh area of focus – meaning it can give grants of at least $30,000 for large international environmental projects.

“The need for environmental projects is huge, as are the consequences of not doing them,” said Judith.

At the summit this week and next, the delegation will be visiting the pavilions of the Rotary clubs from different countries.

Highlights so far include a demonstration from the Pakistani pavilion on how the media can change public behaviour, and the Japanese exhibit on a future powered by hydrogen – trialled recently in the Tokyo Olympic Village.

The international president of Rotary International, Shekhar Mehta, will be hosting a ‘high level ministerial discussion’ on mangrove forests, attended by six Commonwealth ministers or their envoys, alongside experts from around the world.

The secretary general of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, will also attend.

The networking element of COP26 is also an important part of the summit for Rotary International, Judith said.

“It’s going to be important going forward, to help Rotaries work with communities. It’s very much a learning curve for us,” she said.

Still on display from COY16 last week – the youth equivalent of COP26 – are posters from a Rotary Club competition, in which one Braywick Court School student made the national finals out of 3,800 entries.

The 20 winning posters, all environment themed, are on display at the University of Stirling and Glasgow Airport, alongside words of encouragement by Theresa May.

The winners will be announced on Friday by Baroness Scotland, in the Commonwealth’s pavilion as part of its youth programme.

“Young people are definitely being heard (at COP26) – it’s so inspiring to see so many young people there,” said Judith.