European Climate Pact Ambassadors inform, inspire and support climate policy and action in their communities and networks.
To qualify as a Pact Ambassador, you must meet the requirements below. If you do not meet them, you are welcome to become a ‘Friend of the European Climate Pact’ (more information below).
Pact Ambassador appointments are for an initial one year period, with the opportunity to apply for renewal each subsequent year. Pact Ambassadors:
- Lead by example: showcase your dedication to the fight against climate change by taking climate and environmental action.
- Inspire others: encourage citizens, organisations, and regional and national governments to get involved in climate action. Urge relevant stakeholders and policymakers to deploy ambitious measures and mechanisms to accelerate systemic changes.
- Connect with others: team up with like-minded individuals, collaborate with stakeholders from across Europe and share information on EU climate policy and action.
To get a better idea of what our Climate Pact Ambassadors do, read three Ambassador stories in our article.
Pact Ambassadors act in their personal or professional capacity as representatives of a community or organisation, not on behalf of the European Commission. Being a Pact Ambassador does not involve organisational or financial support from the European Commission. Pact Ambassadors are selected based on their compliance with the Pact's objectives and values and according to the progress of activities, such as ensuring proportionate representation across all Member States.
Eligibility Criteria
The following individuals can become Pact Ambassadors:
- Leaders of organisations or associations
- Community leaders, leaders of informal groups or movements
- Mayors, parliamentarians, policymakers or other public office holders
- Representatives of cultural, educational or research institutions
- Influencers, opinion leaders
As a Pact Ambassador, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be a resident of an EU Member State.
- Make a climate action commitment as a Pact Ambassador, indicating at least three concrete actions you will undertake throughout the year:
- It could involve interaction with a community-level group (e.g. school, community association, youth association, business network, peer network) or consist of a communication activity on a local, national, or international communication channel.
- Examples of actions include giving a talk or a presentation; organising, hosting, or facilitating an event, a workshop or a focus group; writing an article, a blog post or a communication piece on a topic related to climate change/green transition/sustainability awareness, advocacy, education or behaviour change; coordinating a climate action project/campaign/initiative.
- We particularly encourage commitments and actions that reach individuals or groups with lower levels of climate awareness and/or people who are currently less engaged in climate action.
- Complete the e-learning onboarding course within three weeks.
- Participate in at least two Pact Secretariat and two Country Coordinator-led Pact Community events during the mandate.
- Be in regular contact and respond to requests from the Country Coordinators and the Secretariat.
- Meet annual reporting requirements as part of the Ambassadorship renewal process.
- Respect the Climate Pact’s values and follow the Secretariat’s guidelines when carrying out your activities (such as guidelines on using the Pact’s visual identity).
Additionally, we expect you to:
- Engage with the Pact Community online groups at least every quarter.
- Share Pact messages and campaigns via your networks and communication channels, including promoting opportunities to become a Pact Ambassador or part of the broader Pact Community.
- Share your Pact achievements via social media, the Pact Secretariat’s communication channels (where available), and/or via Pact Ambassadors’ visibility campaigns.
- Take part in local, national, regional, or European events, with the support of your Country Coordinator or the Pact Secretariat.
What you must not do:
- Claim to work for, represent or speak on behalf of the European Commission or Pact Secretariat or imply that they endorse your opinions or activities because of your Pact Ambassador role. For instance, on LinkedIn, participation in the Pact Ambassador programme can only be listed under Volunteer Experience with the European Commission.
- Expect financial support from the European Commission or Pact Secretariat for your time or activities.
- Use your role as a Pact Ambassador to seek undue personal or commercial advantage or to seek to benefit from your role in contexts unrelated to advancing the Pact and its objectives.
- Use your title for greenwashing purposes, i.e. for deceptive or misleading practices to portray yourself or your organisation as more environmentally friendly or sustainable than it is. It involves making false or exaggerated claims about the environmental credentials of a product, service, company or organisation.
- Fail to react to the Pact Secretariat’s or your Country Coordinator’s onboarding, renewal or reporting requests.
- Act in any way contrary to the Climate Pact’s values.
If any of the above takes place, the Pact Secretariat reserves the right to withdraw your ambassadorship with immediate effect and without any means of recours
