What if United Nations simulations flipped the script?

We all know the classic UN simulation: participants step into the role of diplomats, negotiate on behalf of nation-states, and debate policy options from a distance. But what happens when policymakers, researchers, and global leaders are invited to step into the lived realities of Indigenous and local community leaders?

Last week, at Meli, we ran an experiment  and it was deeply insightful.

Author: Laura Soto

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In the aftermath of COP30, instead of simulating states and abstract negotiations, we chose to recenter the conversation around those who live with the consequences of climate decisions every day: members of our network, made up largely of Indigenous and traditional community leaders.

From COP outcomes to lived realities

COP30 has ended, highlighting the urgency of continuing to co-create climate solutions with the true guardians of forests and territories. Within Meli, this raised a central question: how can we move beyond technical agreements and help the international community truly understand realities that often feel distant, especially for actors from academia and the Global North who have direct influence over public policy?

To ground this reflection, we conducted interviews with leaders from our network and held two internal community sessions: one before COP30 and one post-COP reflection. We also spoke with members who attended COP30 representing their Indigenous nations. These conversations shaped both the content of our event and the design of a post-COP simulation game.

What communities are really asking about COP

One theme emerged from the start: the need to better understand what institutions like the UN actually do — and what COP decisions really mean locally.

For many community members living far from the COP host city in Brazil, these events feel distant and abstract. They know federal government representatives attend on behalf of their countries, but they recognize that these representatives rarely speak about issues their governments are unable or unwilling to address domestically. As a result, many local struggles never reach international negotiation tables.

While efforts are acknowledged, the absence of tangible impacts on the ground continues to generate frustration.

Another recurring concern is the gap between high-level agreements and lived realities. Even with greater Indigenous representation at COP30, visibility did not always translate into real influence over decision-making processes.

Discussions around climate finance were also prominent. The proposed Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) raised significant concerns. Some communities had heard about the fund months ago, yet many disagreed with how resources are expected to reach them.

Communities challenged the narrative that Indigenous organizations lack administrative capacity. If climate finance aims to reach forest protectors, it must invest in governance, technology, and administrative systems so communities can manage funds directly. Today, less than 1% of global climate finance reaches Indigenous and local communities without intermediaries.

Nevertheless, those who attended described how powerful it was to stand alongside other Indigenous nations, exchange knowledge, and feel visible in a global space. Even for those who could not attend, witnessing these moments increased awareness of shared struggles and collective strength.

The challenge now is turning awareness into action, transforming connections into long-term, concrete cooperation.

Building the simulation: bridging realities

To translate these insights into practice, we designed a simulation game rooted entirely in real experiences. Roles were built from interviews and community sessions with leaders from our network.

Five roles emerged, reflecting diverse realities from the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon: Kichwa, Quilombola, Kokama, Caboclo, and Aikewara. Each role carried the weight of real leadership, real constraints, and real hopes.

On Wednesday, December 10th, participants from international institutions, universities, research centers, civil society organizations, and independent initiatives engaged in this simulation.

One guiding question shaped the experience:

What happens when climate governance becomes embodied?

When participants inhabited someone’s river, land rights, health system, fear, or hope, decision-making shifted. It was no longer about “policy options,” but about protection, dignity, memory, and survival.

Empathy as a political tool

As Bart Elmore from Ohio State University reflected, the simulation allowed him to feel the urgency and responsibility embodied by Marisol, a Kichwa leader recreated for the game. Her drive to create lasting solutions for her community raises a deeper question: how can this perspective be brought into classrooms, institutions, and future leadership programs to cultivate empathy intentionally?

This experience reaffirmed our conviction: communities must have their realities represented in international decision-making spaces. We need diplomatic simulations and governance systems that train leaders to sense the environmental and social realities behind climate policy.

Moving forward, the challenge is clear: ensuring international governance connects to local realities, building partnerships, and supporting communities in ways that are meaningful, direct, and long-term.