WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) 鈥 Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will work alongside leaders from Conservation International to advocate for climate action and better treatment of the environment, the group said Monday.
Conservation International said Ardern has become its sixth Arnhold Distinguished Fellow and would serve a two-year term to advocate internationally, especially on issues affecting the Pacific and Antarctica. The group said the role was considered part-time and came with a stipend.
It is one several new roles Ardern has announced since as prime minister in January. She is also at Harvard University's Kennedy School and on leadership.
鈥淔rom the beginning of my time in the New Zealand Parliament, I鈥檝e advocated for global climate action,鈥 Ardern said in a statement. 鈥淢y passion and sense of urgency on this issue has only increased over the last 15 years, especially as I witnessed firsthand the impact of climate change in our region."
Ardern's government joined other nations in 2020 by . Though the declaration came without any new statutory powers or money, she said at the time that it acknowledged the burden the next generation faces.
鈥淔or them, it is instinctual, it is tangible, it is real,鈥 Ardern said. 鈥淚t is about the country they will inherit.鈥
Ardern also banned for offshore oil and gas and .
Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan said Ardern's appointment was a win for the entire conservation and climate movement, adding that she "has modeled the kind of leadership, empathy and determination required to deliver crucial environmental and climate solutions.鈥
Just 37 when she became prime minister in 2017, Ardern became a global icon of the left. When she stepped down she said she no longer had 鈥渆nough in the tank鈥 to do the job justice. Her political popularity in New Zealand had been fading, and her successor Chris Hipkins suffered a in a general election last month.
