​If anyone had told me that my journey to COP30 would involve lost luggage, a missing DSA card, a fire evacuation, a stolen phone, and a suspended return ticket, I would have never believed them. Yet, this experience became one of the most defining chapters of my life one that tested my resilience and affirmed my purpose as a climate negotiator for Uganda.

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This is a story not just about hardship, but about growth, leadership, and choosing to rise when everything seemed determined to pull me down.

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The Beginning: Stepping Into Responsibility

In early 2025, I received one of the greatest honors of my career: selection into the Climate Youth Negotiators Programme (CYNP) Advanced Cohort. I was the only Ugandan in the cohort, and my performance in the previous year earned me full funding from the Youth Negotiators Academy (YNA) and CARE Denmark.

With this opportunity came responsibility not just to learn, but to represent Uganda, African youth, and frontline communities with credibility and strength. I arrived at COP30 prepared to negotiate, contribute, and serve.

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The Challenges: Surviving the Storm

The journey to Brazil tested me in ways I could never have imagined. Flights were uncertain until the last moment. At Entebbe, my ticket nearly failed to register. My luggage was left behind in Nairobi and only reunited with me days later. During training, my DSA card went missing, leaving me without access to funds in a foreign country.

At COP30 itself, a fire at the Africa & East Africa Pavilion forced an emergency evacuation. When we returned, my phone containing negotiation notes, contacts, and records was gone. Finally, as I prepared to return home, my ticket was suspended at São Paulo airport.

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Each of these moments could have ended my participation. Instead, I chose to continue focused, composed, and committed.

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Finding My Power: Negotiating for Uganda

What sustained me was the work itself.

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Throughout COP30, I actively supported Uganda’s delegation and contributed within the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), G77+China, and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) blocs. I was trusted with real responsibilities attending technical meetings, supporting coordination, and representing positions in rooms where experience and influence matter.

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One moment stands out clearly. The AGN Capacity-Building Coordinator repeatedly entrusted me with tasks, saying, “Belinda, take this one for me,” and introducing me to senior negotiators as someone to watch. In those moments, I further realized that I was participating meaningfully in negotiations.

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Despite exhaustion, uncertainty, and emotional pressure, my performance never wavered. I showed up even more prepared, contributed substantively, and earned the trust of senior negotiators who relied on me to deliver.

 

Growth Beyond the Negotiation Rooms

This experience sharpened my technical skills, strengthened my confidence, and deepened my understanding of multilateral climate processes. More importantly, it showed me what leadership under pressure truly looks like staying calm, focused, and effective even when everything else is unstable.

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When my return ticket was suspended and I had no phone, I coordinated calmly through my laptop. When I lost my notes, I reconstructed them through colleagues. When resources disappeared, I leaned on collaboration and integrity rather than panic.

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What This Journey Taught Me

COP30 taught me that:

• Resilience is a decision, not a personality trait

• Leadership is consistency under pressure

• Youth belong in negotiation rooms not as observers, but as contributors

• Structural barriers faced by young negotiators from frontline contexts require intergenerational collaboration and intentional support

• Purpose gives strength when comfort disappears

• This journey did not break me it built me.

 

Looking Forward

Today, I continue supporting climate capacity building through the Ministry of Water and Environment under the IFPA-CD Project, ensuring community voices shape adaptation and development pathways. COP30 prepared me for greater leadership, more complex negotiations, and higher responsibility.

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My journey is not just mine. It reflects the reality of many young negotiators who push through invisible barriers to claim space in global decision-making. We rise not because the path is easy, but because our communities deserve representation, justice, and courage.

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And I will keep rising for Uganda, for Africa, and for climate justice!