CEMS Master's brings international climate negotiations to St.Gallen

Throughout the semester, participants prepared intensively for their respective roles and immersed themselves in the complex realities of international climate governance. The objective of the format is not only to provide students with theoretical knowledge, but also to confront them directly with the challenges of multilateral negotiations.

Students experience international diplomacy

“What makes the CEMS Model UNFCCC so unique is that it is far more than a traditional academic simulation,” says Dr. Pascal Vuichard, Senior Lecturer Managing Climate Solutions at the University of St.Gallen and organiser of the roleplay. “Students experience first-hand how complex international climate diplomacy truly is and how difficult it is to reconcile economic development, political realities, energy security, social justice, and planetary boundaries all at the same time.”
For more than fifteen years, the format has brought together students from different countries and academic backgrounds, creating an experimental learning environment that fosters negotiation skills, strategic thinking, and intercultural collaboration.

“The simulation demonstrates very clearly that in international negotiations every word matters,” Vuichard continues. “Progress is often painfully slow, positions can become deeply entrenched, and suddenly a single formulation in one paragraph can turn into an existential issue. It is precisely this dynamic that makes the experience so realistic and educational.”

The CEMS Model UNFCCC is widely regarded as one of the most practice-oriented learning formats in the field of international sustainability and climate policy. Through the intensive engagement with geopolitical interests, economic trade-offs, and diplomatic processes, students gain a deeper understanding of how global climate policy is shaped and why its implementation remains so challenging.

With this year’s roleplay, the University of St.Gallen once again underlines its commitment to innovative and practice-oriented teaching in the fields of sustainability and international governance.