Invitation to COP 14 in Poznan
Îïóáëèêîâàíî 08.08.2008 So, COP 14 (or, formally, the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) is basically the same thing as the one that happened in Bali last December (hope you heard about it from the news).
Most probably you know that the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol will expire in the end of 2012, so now the world community is trying to devise a new comprehensive climate treaty which will substitute Kyoto and will include the US. According to the Bali Roadmap adopted last December this new treaty should be finalised and signed at COP 15 in Copenhagen in late 2009 (November-December), so the huge part of the negotiations over it will happen this December in Poznań at COP 14. It's crucially important that as many young people from all over the world as possible attend these conferences (now and the next year), to exercise progressive lobbying and demand a new climate treaty which would be radical and just enough to avoid the worst possible scenario. It's especially important for young Russians to be part of this process at COP 14 and COP 15, because so far there were none or very few young Russians going to these meetings (I was the only one at COP 11) and the Youth Climate Action Movement in Russia is non-existent (still!!).
Since June this year I'm organising a group of young people from Sweden (roughly half of them are internationals and half are Swedes) to attend those conference as accredited delegates. I really want to do the same with a group of young Russians, and probably you already heard from Alex that we got money for that (to pay for travel to and from and for stay in Poznan for two weeks for roughly 20 young Russian activists). We should start the preparation with all potential delegates from Russia already in August, before we meet (hopefully) irl at the ESF. I'm ready to share my experience (via email and at the ESF) on how to operate at the conference of this kind and how this whole international diplomatic machinery works. You'll read more about it below.
Also, I have a bigger agenda in all that, since this work to prepare Russian youth delegation is one piece of my personal "mission" to contribute to building an international Youth Climate Action Movement (we started this process here in Sweden, too). The first activists of this new movement in Russia will be exactly the delegates to COP 14 and 15, so you'll have a chance to be active from the very beginning and build this movement from scratch. And see it lifting off, hopefully. I find it a very exciting time and place to be in!
So, those of you who will reply to me positively abou this, will have to come to Poznan already on November 29th, two days before the official conference itself starts. We'll need those two days to meet up with the rest of the international youth at COP and learn how we are going to work together. We'll also have kind of a "crash course" on climate diplomacy and how COPs function. But even before that, in September, few days before the start of ESF in Malmö it'll be extremely useful for you to come, if you can, to Copenhagen on September 13th to attend the first international coordination meeting over the weekend (I'll be there too, helping "my" youth group and a youth Russian delegation to orientate). That meeting in Copenhagen will also be paid for you – accommodation and food expenses will be covered.
Now, what kind of people do we need? First, young! Second, interested in working with climate issues on a long-term basis (which basically means building a new youth climate movement in Russia, from scratch. Third, fluent (or almost fluent :-)) in English.
Preparations for the COP in Poznan will be split into two different modes: internet "coaching" and real-life meetings. Meetings are recommended, but optional: first international meeting in Copenhagen Sep. 13-14; then ESF in Malmö; and finally the youth "pre-conference" in Poznan Nov. 29-30. Coaching via internet - all Russian delegates will be invited to a new Google Group where all reading materials will be posted and all discussions will take place. There will be lots of reading and communication to do, be aware of that. Maybe even a Skype conference from time to time. All delegates will have to build an expertise in the following three knowledge areas:
1) Climate science - (starting with "The Inconvenient Truth" and then going deeper from there);
2) Climate politics - mostly knowledge about different countries' and groups of countries' positions, as well as NGOs', IPCC's and Big Business' positions, knowledge about different policy tools and a brief history of the international climate process so far (the current political climate regime is also necessary to know). Important part there is know where does the youth of the world stand in this process, first because we belong to this category ourselves and second because we're the most important stakeholders in this process - we will inherit the planet shaped by the outcome of the Poznań/Copenhagen negotiations. Those negotiations will probably define out planet's future (climatic, political, economic, and humanitarian) for centuries to come.
3) International climate negotiations - basically about how COPs function, how one approaches the delegates and talks to them, what and how one can do as a young person at COP etc. This stuff the Russian delegates may learn from me and from other "veterans" of the COP process when we're going to meet in Copenhagen and/or Malmö and at the "crash course" during the pre-conference in Poznan. «« advertisement »» |
