S

1
Youth Participation at the UNFCCC Process

• Sébastien Duyck
• Youth Focal Point to the UNFCCC

2
Youth _at_ UNFCCC

• Increasing participation
• 450 youth delegates at COP14, 2008
• 1500 youth delegates at COP15, 2009
• Progress through the years
• 2005 First coordination of youth participation
• 2009 Provisional constituency status

3
Objectives of Youth Participation

• Promote equity among and between generations
  through an ambitious, fair and binding climate
  regime
• Strengthen the recognition of the role of youth
  in climate politics and policies
• Advocacy with National government, Networking

4
Issues related to Access to the COP15

• Issue 1 lack of readiness of the COP15
  organizers to deal with the registration and
  access of the participants
• Nominated participants had to queue in the cold
  for hours/days
• Nominated participants prevented from taking
  part to the conference
• Issue 2 restrictions imposed on the access of
  civil society delegates
• Secondary Badge System (2 days)
• Almost complete lockout of the NGOs, 99 of
  accredited youth delegates blocked outside (3
  days)
• Issue 3 limited information flow to parties and
  NGOs
• Hamper the ability of participants to adapt to
  restrictions

5
Issues related to Qualitative Participation

• UNFCCC negotiations evolve particularly rapidly
  during the meetings.
• Issue 1 lack of transparency of the process
• Majority of negotiations taking place in meeting
  closed to observers
• Issue 2 lack of flexibility to enable effective
  public participation
• Rules on civil society intervention constraining
  valuable input
• Excessively strict guidelines on actions

6
General Comment

• Lack of understanding of effective participation
  by the actors of the UNFCCC negotiations
• Recommendation 1 focal points to the Aarhus
  Convention should work in closer relation with
  delegates to the UNFCCC negotiations
• Recommendation 2 governments should use the
  opportunity offered in the call for submissions
  on stakeholder engagement
• (see http//bit.ly/callsubmissionsFCCC)

7
Recommendations related to Participation to the
UNFCCC

• Recommendation 1 Aarhus parties should provide a
  contact point during the UNFCCC meetings in order
  to work with civil society and to promote the
  implementation of the Aarhus Convention
• Recommendation 2 Delegates of the parties to the
  Aarhus Convention should take an active role at
  the meetings of the UNFCCC to enhance public
  participation
• Recommendation 3 Governments bound by the Aarhus
  Convention (and other parties to the UNFCCC)
  support the work of the secretariat
• Parties must fulfill their financial
  responsibility and provide the resources for the
  secretariat to operate effectively

8
Issues related to Youth Participation

• Issue At present, all groups of stakeholders
  considered on the same footing.
• In practice, strong inequalities in terms of
  capacity, economic resources and political
  influence among different groups of stakeholders.
• Recommendation develop further mechanisms to
  address these inequalities (Almaty, para. 15)

9
Conclusion

• Which actions have been taking by the parties to
  the Aarhus Convention to ensure the effective
  implementation of the Aarhus Convention?

10
Thank you for your attention

• youthclimate.org