Meeting David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK

On Tuesday, November 14th, a group of seven youth from around the world met with David Miliband to discuss the Youth Stakeholder Proposal and plans for the Post-Kyoto Regime.
David Miliband is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for the United Kingdom. In this role has overall responsibility for all departmental issues; represents the UK at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council and at the EU Environment Council; and leads for the UK in other international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change.
Overall, the meeting went as well as could be expected. General impressions: Mr. Milliband is a young, energetic, empathetic and frank individual.

We presented him with a copy of the Youth Stakeholder Proposal and he made the following initial observations:

The importance of considering the strategic advantages as well as disadvantages of distancing ourselves from the ENGO banner. He noted that there were advantages of being part of this group but did not elaborate as to what they were.

He also spoke to the need for grounded approaches that address local needs. In the UK, for example, there are 9 youth climate change champions who were selected to represent 9 regions. These youth engage in localised initaitves to promote awareness and education about the issues of climate change. They also have a role at higher levels and interact with government.

Overall, Mr. Miliband was supportive of our proposal and said he would consider the possibility of including some of the youth climate change champions on the official delegation. Mr. Miliband has been outspoken on the need for action on a post-2012 protocol. Earlier this week, he took a trip to Tekina in norther Kenya to visit with people being adversely effected by climate change. However, he has also conceded that “[t]he world is not going to cut a global emission deal this week, but we can develop and make progress.”
Mr. Miliband is keeping a blog of his experiences here in Nairobi. According to Mr. Miliband, his blog is an “attempt to help bridge the gap - the growing and potentially dangerous gap - between politicians and the public. It will show what I’m doing, what I’m thinking about, and what I’ve read, heard or seen for myself which has sparked interest or influenced my ideas. My focus will be on my ministerial priorities. This supplements the existing ways of doing day-to-day business with me and my department.” Check it his blog at http://www.davidmiliband.defra.gov.uk
He is also posting podcasts on the Guardian Unlimited site http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2006/11/13/david_miliband_at_the_un_climate_change_conference.html

About Jessica

I have a confession to make. . . I am a food-a-holic. I love food and revels in all of its attendant processes. I came to food research and activism through a melding of environmental and human rights concerns. I have spent the last few years undertaking social research on various aspects of the Canadian food system from both a farming and policy perspective. The goal of my activities is to support the creation of a just and sustainable food system and society. Since my return to British Columbia in 2004, I have been an active member of the BC Food Systems Network (www.fooddemocracy.org) and I am currently sitting on its Board of Directors. I also coordinate the Community Outreach Team of FarmFolk/CityFolk (www.ffcf.bc.ca). I try to always be mindful of the need for integrated approaches to research and activism . This awareness led to me to examine the impact of environmental and climate change on food systems, and to seek community-based solutions to addressing these problems. In my "spare time," I work on my MA thesis at the University of Victoria which examines the relationship between egg marketing and inspection systems and small-scale producers in British Columbia. I am committed to sharing my passion for healthy lifestyles, healthy communities, community engagement and youth empowerment (and sushi). My areas of interest include: Agriculture & Food Security; Citizenship & Belonging; Climate Change; Fair Trade; Intellectual Property; Labour Rights; Literacy and; Neocolonialism & Imperialism