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The legitimacy of the Cop26 climate summit has been questioned by civil society participants who say restrictions on access to negotiations are unprecedented and unjustified.
As the summit in Glasgow enters its second week, observers representing hundreds of environmental, academic, climate justice, indigenous peoples and women’s rights groups have excluded them from the negotiating arena and said speaking to negotiators would be It warns of potentially dire consequences for millions of people.
Observers serve as the summit’s unofficial watchdogs. That is, the eyes and ears of the negotiating public to ensure transparency of the proceedings and reflect the concerns of the communities and groups most likely to be affected by the decision.
But the Guardian reportedly thwarted their ability to observe, interact and intervene in negotiations on carbon markets, loss and damage, and climate finance in the first week.
“Civil society voices are important to the Cop outcome, but we were unable to do the job,” said Tasneem Essop, executive director of the Climate Action Network (CAN), which represents more than 1,500 organizations in over 130 countries. said:
CAN is one of two environmental ‘constituents’ recognized by the UNFCCC: a loose network of NGOs including youth groups, trade unions, indigenous peoples, business, agriculture and gender.
Gina Cortes, a member of the Women and Gender Constituency and representing the women’s group, said there was a need to “call out the gross inequality and gross injustice of this police officer.”
“There are thousands of activists who should be here but are missing, and there is a shocking degree of closed space for civil society and frontline voices…that is offensive, unjust and unacceptable. No,” said Cortez.
Heading into Cop26, the UK government boasted that Glasgow would be the most comprehensive summit on record.
In reality, about two-thirds of the civil society organizations that normally delegate to the Cop said they were ‘vaccine apartheid’, changing travel rules, exorbitant travel costs and Britain’s hostile immigration system. , has not traveled to Glasgow.
Observers said the situation was most critical during the two-day summit earlier in the week, when one or two cards per constituency were issued despite six negotiating chambers operating simultaneously. In addition, workstations, offices and restaurants were also blocked, preventing observers from having direct contact with negotiators.
“The level of restrictions was unprecedented,” said Sebastian Dyke of the Center for International Environmental Law. “It’s disturbing because the relationships we build at the beginning of Cop are so important to the work that follows… Limited participation completely undermines Cop’s credibility.”
Access has been improved since the ticketing system was lifted, with one observer per constituency now technically allowed in each meeting room (subject to social distancing rules and sufficient space) . However, their ability to participate meaningfully is still limited.
Observers are particularly concerned about negotiations on carbon trading protocols, as governments and companies explore ways to use offsets to meet net-zero commitments.
“There is a real risk that the decisions made in these chambers will affect human rights in the most dramatic ways, as we have seen under the carbon trading mechanism under Kyoto. “And it’s almost impossible to fix later. The size of the carbon market means there is a bigger threat to the community,” says Duyck.
This is a major concern for indigenous communities, which represent 6% of the world’s population but conserve 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. “Without our voices, we risk creating rules that continue to violate the human, territorial and spiritual rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said Eliel Delanger, Observer for Indigenous Peoples Climate Action. rice field.
Pointing to the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, the UK government says a new online platform used by 12,000 people so far has improved access.
But for some people trying to follow what’s happening virtually, technical glitches have made access a “logistical nightmare,” said the international nonprofit Corporate Accountability Africa. Regional Coordinator Helen Kaneni said: “Police have never been reliable and this year has been even worse. Access is restricted in so many ways it’s scary. .”
Aderonke Ige of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, who made it to Glasgow from Nigeria for the first cops despite Covid restrictions, said after failing to go online and being denied access to meeting rooms and offices, “Disappointed and unfulfilled,” said a negotiator for the African Group.
A spokesperson said: Ensuring that the voices of those most affected by climate change are heard is a priority for the Cop26 presidency, and if we want to make a difference for the planet, all countries and civil society must continue to show their ideas and ambitions in Glasgow. ”
The success of this cop will be judged in the years to come. But according to Nathan Sanki of Demand Climate Justice (second environmental constituency), the legitimacy of the summit is limited to limited access and the fact that wealthy countries are using COP26 to stay outside the UNFCCC pledges and review framework. It was seriously undermined by the way it made headline-grabbing announcements.
“It is impossible to monitor these announcements, which means there is no accountability to civil society or other countries. That is the unfortunate state of affairs at this summit.”
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