Hello all,
It's the eve of the first day of the COP15 negociations, and I have to say I am pretty enthusiastic despite the low expections of acheiving any substantive agreement.
The Conference of Youth COY5 was a great success. Eighty five percent of the youth delegates have never participated in a COP before so this will be a new experience for the large majority of us. The conference began with a session of mixing and mingling with approx 500 youth from around the world, with a very large Canadian component. This was followed by a number of workshops to chose from -I attended the UNFCCC Structure and How to Utilize a Day at COP Effectively. I found the later to be quite useful, while the former can be found onthe UNFCCC website.
Essentially, we were told to plan, plan, and plan. Because there are so many activities happening at one time, it is important to chose an area that interests you, and then participate in activities that are in line with your interests. It's easy to be overwhelmed, we're told, and it's important to take care of yourself. We were given tips on how to find negociators of interest, and to take advantage of our youth status. People will generally take the time to talk to youth because of our keenness to learn, whereas professionals -afraid to look unprofessional- are less likely to ask.
Additionally, I was told that this is going to be one of the most important COPs because of the uncertainty involved in the outcome of the final agreement. The uncertain outcome means that countries cannot begin to plan until after the COP is over. I look forward to learning more about what makes this COP so different than the others.
Finally, if I can give one piece of advice, it's arrive at the Bella Centre early. The Bella Centre is highly likely to reach it's 15, 000 person capacity, and observer delegates are at the bottom of the list after negociators and media. Once capacity has been reached, entrance is on a "one in-one out" basis.
Let the negociations begin!
Regards,
Marielle Gervais
It's the eve of the first day of the COP15 negociations, and I have to say I am pretty enthusiastic despite the low expections of acheiving any substantive agreement.
The Conference of Youth COY5 was a great success. Eighty five percent of the youth delegates have never participated in a COP before so this will be a new experience for the large majority of us. The conference began with a session of mixing and mingling with approx 500 youth from around the world, with a very large Canadian component. This was followed by a number of workshops to chose from -I attended the UNFCCC Structure and How to Utilize a Day at COP Effectively. I found the later to be quite useful, while the former can be found onthe UNFCCC website.
Essentially, we were told to plan, plan, and plan. Because there are so many activities happening at one time, it is important to chose an area that interests you, and then participate in activities that are in line with your interests. It's easy to be overwhelmed, we're told, and it's important to take care of yourself. We were given tips on how to find negociators of interest, and to take advantage of our youth status. People will generally take the time to talk to youth because of our keenness to learn, whereas professionals -afraid to look unprofessional- are less likely to ask.
Additionally, I was told that this is going to be one of the most important COPs because of the uncertainty involved in the outcome of the final agreement. The uncertain outcome means that countries cannot begin to plan until after the COP is over. I look forward to learning more about what makes this COP so different than the others.
Finally, if I can give one piece of advice, it's arrive at the Bella Centre early. The Bella Centre is highly likely to reach it's 15, 000 person capacity, and observer delegates are at the bottom of the list after negociators and media. Once capacity has been reached, entrance is on a "one in-one out" basis.
Let the negociations begin!
Regards,
Marielle Gervais
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