Pacific, Climate & Environment Profile Series: Véronique Mollot

As AFRAN celebrates 10 years of connecting people, ideas and expertise across France, Australia and the Pacific, our Pacific, Climate & Environment Profile Series continues to highlight the people whose work is helping shape a more sustainable, inclusive and connected region. Today, we are pleased to feature Véronique Mollot, a pioneer of educational innovation in New Caledonia whose career has been dedicated to bringing together education, science, gender equality, youth, the ocean and civil society. From the classroom to government, Véronique's journey reflects a conviction that has remained constant throughout her career: education cannot exist in isolation from the society and environment it is preparing young people to inherit.

Breaking down boundaries through education

Teacher, inspector and former government advisor, Véronique has spent her career working across different parts of New Caledonia's education system. She contributed to the development of New Caledonia's 2016 Education Project, supporting a stronger local identity within education, while continually seeking to create connections between schools, institutions, researchers and civil society. One of the most significant examples of this approach is the 3E Label, which she created to promote education for equality between girls and boys.

Today, around 80% of schools in New Caledonia have adopted the label, demonstrating how an educational initiative can progressively contribute to broader cultural and societal change. For Véronique, gender equality is not a separate issue. It is closely connected to the way societies prepare for the future—including how they respond to environmental challenges.

Bringing gender equality to ocean education

Over time, Véronique's work has increasingly turned towards the ocean. Here again, her approach has been to connect areas that are too often considered separately: environmental awareness, education, professional opportunities and gender equality. She created Elles des Lagons, bringing together women with expertise related to the ocean, and co-founded an integrated Ocean Education Programme with a strong gender dimension. Working with oceanographer and AFRAN member Lionel Loubersac, she developed an approach that raises awareness among young people about maritime careers while also questioning the underrepresentation of women within these professions. This work reflects a broader principle: protecting the environment cannot be separated from the people who depend on it. As Véronique argues, environmental protection must include a human dimension. Protecting the planet also means listening to people, addressing inequalities and ensuring that communities—and particularly younger generations—have the tools to participate in shaping solutions.

Her vision is captured in a phrase that brings these different dimensions together:

“The sea is a promise, education is its compass, equality is its direction.” 

Giving young people the tools to shape their future

Youth is at the centre of Véronique's vision. For her, the purpose of education is not simply to transmit knowledge. Educational systems must give young people the knowledge, confidence and tools they need to become active participants in the world they will inherit. Her long-term ambition is particularly rooted in New Caledonia: helping young people see that they can build their future locally, contribute to their communities and participate in the future development of the territory. This also means opening new possibilities—whether by introducing students to science and environmental issues, making maritime careers more visible, promoting equality, or connecting young people with experts and opportunities they may not otherwise encounter.

Connecting New Caledonia with the wider Pacific

While Véronique's work is deeply rooted in New Caledonia, it is increasingly regional. She has developed links with schools and partners in French Polynesia, is exploring future cooperation with Vanuatu, and sees significant potential for stronger connections between Pacific Island countries, Australia and New Zealand. This regional perspective reflects the same philosophy that guides her work locally: solutions emerge when people with different experiences and expertise are given opportunities to meet and learn from one another.

Keeping people at the heart of collaboration

This is also what Véronique particularly values about AFRAN. For her, the network's strength lies not only in its capacity to connect experts from different disciplines and countries, but in maintaining a human dimension within those exchanges—ensuring that people and society remain at the heart of conversations about science, climate and the environment. She saw this approach in action during AFRAN's “From UNOC-3 to COP31” Forum, where diverse forms of expertise were brought together around shared Pacific challenges. Her links with AFRAN have also continued through the 3E initiative, with AFRAN representatives now participating in its committee. As AFRAN celebrates its first ten years, Véronique's story is a reminder that building a more sustainable Pacific is not only a question of developing new technologies or producing more knowledge. It is also about education, equality and giving the next generation the confidence and opportunity to act. Because preparing for the future ultimately means preparing the people who will shape it.

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