Emily Pugin has recently been playing a lead role in Australia’s climate change negotiations on gender and Indigenous peoples at the UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.

The Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will graduate this week with a Master of Public Policy from The Australian National University (ANU).

Emily said it was an honour and a privilege to sit behind the Australian flag to help share Australia’s story.

“I’m especially proud to be here for my people, the Kombumerri Saltwater people of Southeast Queensland,” Emily said.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have a long history, and a rich and ancient culture, caring for country for over 60,000 years. Not only are Indigenous peoples at a heightened risk to climate impacts, owing to a unique dependence upon and close relationship with the environment, but traditional knowledge can also contribute to global solutions.

“It is important to bring Indigenous and gender-informed perspectives to climate discussions.”

Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate change, Emily explains.

“Bringing these voices to the table is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Research has shown that systematic mainstreaming of gender equality and social inclusion into climate decision-making, policies and interventions helps ensure that efforts are more effective, sustainable, and efficient, and lead to more equitable long-term outcomes.”

Emily sat the final economics exam for her Master of Public Policy remotely from the margins of negotiations in Egypt.

“As I reflect on my masters, I appreciate how the course has shaped me into a more confident woman with an even greater appreciation for the responsibility of policymakers to consider and incorporate the needs of the most vulnerable.”

Emily was a Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner Scholar sponsored by DFAT and was funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to attend COP27.

The Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner Scholarship is a one-to-three-year full pay scholarship for any level of postgraduate study at ANU or Charles Darwin University for high performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander APS 4 to SES Band 1 Australian Public Service employees.

Applications for Semester 2 2023 and Semester 1 2024 are currently open. For more information visit the Sir Roland Wilson Foundation website.

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