Post from CYCC member Amara Possian who is currently at the UNFCCC intersessional climate meetings in Bonn, Germany.
From members of the secretariat to members of the youth constituency, it has been widely acknowledged that the presence of civil society enriches the legitimacy and process of the UN climate negotiations.
While the Mexican delegation has said that any number of participants are welcome at COP16 Cancun, throughout today, the issue of limiting the role of civil society at future UNFCCC negotiations has been raised several times and it looks like the unprecedented clashes between civil society and the authorities in Copenhagen may have repercussions on the presence and the role of non-governmental observers at future COPs. Late this afternoon, May Boeve, from 350.org, and Fred Heutte, from theSierra Club, raised the issue with Yvo de Boer during his public meeting with civil society and asked for his support in ensuring the continued participation of non-governmental organizations.
While De Boer avoided pledging his support for the continued involvement of civil society in the UNFCCC process, he apologized and tried to explain what went wrong in Copenhagen. He admitted to failing to properly consider the implications of having 120 heads of state (along with the 1500 armed security personnel they brought along) in the Bella Centre at the end of COP15 and called his decision to limit participation to only 300 observers at the end of the conference a way of “safeguarding observer participation”.
