A Shropshire student has taken part in an international conference aimed at working towards achieving sustainable development goals in Asia and the Pacific.

Natt Kritchanarat, 16, a Year 12 student at Ellesmere College, attended the forum in Thailand as a youth delegate – an amazing opportunity to learn more about policy making linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to showcase her interests in chemical engineering and microplastics research.

The 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) took place at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok over four days last month (FEB), an annual inclusive intergovernmental forum to support, follow-up and review progress.

Stephen Mullock, Deputy Head External Relations at Ellesmere College, said: “This was an amazing opportunity for Natt and we are thrilled she had such a fantastic time and got so much out of the trip.

“She is a native of Thailand and joined Year 9 at the College in September 2021. She has excelled here from day one, taking her GCSE maths in Year 9 – scoring a 9, and then in the summer of 2024 she gained nine grade 9’s in her GCSE’s, passing her A level maths with an A* at the same time.

“Natt is currently studying Physics, Chemistry and Further Maths at A level and is an excellent example of how Ellesmere College is providing the individual support for students to excel and succeed – regardless of age.

“The invitation to join the Asia Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development in Thailand was a great opportunity for her to gain international honours and develop her leadership skills through participation in a real world conference.

“She was also able to showcase her interests in chemical engineering and microplastics – research she is doing to enhance her university applications. Natt was able to attend many events at the forum and learn about policy making linked to SDGs. She got to meet, introduce herself and talk about her project to many representatives of UN organisations and other youth delegates.”

Natt said: “It was an eye-opening experience to be invited as a youth delegate to a united nations conference. I was able to meet and speak to many different people who are experts in their areas – representatives from the UNESCAP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFCC, World Bank and the International Science Council.

“It was also good to connect with other like-minded youth delegates, just going up to introduce myself and talk about my research and projects to people I’ve never met before really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and taught me real world experience of making connections.

“I got to attend many events, panel discussions and workshop roundtables that focused on finding solutions through the use of science and collaboration to achieve the SDGs. The most memorable event for me was the Generation Hope Goals where I was able to observe five youth teams pitch their innovative climate action solutions to a global audience. The winning team presented really well on their edible, biodegradable cutlery that was meant to reduce plastic waste

“At first, as a 16 year old, it was really intimidating to be in a room full of ambassadors, ministers, regional directors and other professionals, but it was deeply insightful to listen to their presentation and discussions because they were able to offer a knowledge and expertise on the topic that I think many in the room, including me, could not think of.

“Being part of the conference really helped me learn a lot about how things in the UN run and how policies are made. For example, it might be all well and good to have the scientific knowledge for a solution but if that solution does not fulfill the other factors, governments may choose not to implement them.”

Natt said one of the main things that shone through during the conference was the need for collaboration – something that was frequently repeated in all of the events she attended.

“In an event called the Asia Science Mission for Sustainability, the representatives from the International Science Council discussed their initiative to establish a meta-network hub for people in different sectors to connect and share context-specific scientific knowledge to prevent lost opportunities,” said Natt.

“I also heard from a professor of water engineering, advising that water can be used as a key solution to linking all sectors for a pilot initiative. This immediately made me think of how chemical engineering could become a key catalyst in aiding this, in water or wastewater management – which is actually something we have done a presentation to Middle School about at Ellesmere College.

“Another thing that was clear from the conference was that the UN is actively promoting the involvement of youth in implementing the sustainable development goals. Youth is seen to be a powerful catalyst for climate action and the UN is encouraging youths to collaborate on research initiatives.”

For more information about opportunities available at Ellesmere College visit www.ellesmere.com.