YOUNGO

Start: On September 28, 2009 the international youth movement gained official constituency status. The provisional status took effect in November 2009 and will continue through to the first sessional period in 2011. A final decision on the status will be made in time for COP 17, based on the assessment of the work of this constituency in realtion to the UNFCCC process.

UNFCCC: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , which entered into force in March 1994, was a crucial step to fulfilling the aim to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, including the most important of them all, carbon dioxide. Although global in scope, the UNFCCC differentiated commitments of its Parties depending on their respective capabilities. 192 countries have acceded to the UNFCCC Climate Change Convention yet only 183 have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.”

Copenhagen: COP 15 is exceptionally significant as officials will embark on crafting a new climate treaty as a successor to the Kyoto protocol, the first phase of which expires in 2012. According to Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UNFCCC, the four essentials needing an international agreement in Copenhagen are:

1. How much are industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?

2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?

3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?

4. How is that money going to be managed?

What is a constituency: Constituencies have a functional role in the climate change processes a management tool   The constituency system contributes to enhance the participation of a myriad of individual organizations by clustering them to allow more effective communication with the secretariat, within each cluster, between clusters and with the Parties.  Too many constituencies would undermine that function. There are nine major stakeholder groups in the CSD process, based on Agenda 21 categorizations.

We all know what a massive undertaking it would be for our leaders to agree on a set of achievable, equitable and implementable goals for climate change. What can youth do to help? The truth is, we’re probably far more powerful together than any of us can imagine or could be individually! While we may not hold high office nor will we be sitting at the negotiation table, we can persuade and influence key decision-makers in government, business and media, galvanize public opinion and mobilize grassroots movements. Feel free to spread your ideas with the rest of the group at our BRAINSTORM page and let’s get cracking, troops!

The YOUNGOs already work more or less as a constituency, submitting consolidated positions and cooperating… Obtaining the formal status would entail us to secure the following rights:

  • we will be invited to (some of) the workshop taking place in between sessions,
  • we will receive a speaking slot at the high level segment of the COPs,
  • we will receive an office space at the COPs (but probably not for COP15, the office space being already attributed),
  • we will have additional opportunities to make statements during the plenary,
  • the secretariat will facilitate the logistics of our daily meetings (every day in same room, announced in the program and on CCTVs),
  • we will have the opportunity to hold bilateral with the chairs of each official bodies (COP, SBI, SBSTA, AWGs),
  • we will have an enhanced chance to hold bilateral with the chair of other groups such as expert groups and contact groups,
  • Our participation to the Secretary General NGOs briefings will improve (particular right to ask specific questions).

In counterpart, we have the following obligations:

  • We will need to designate a focal point
  • We will need to manage information dissemination (secretariat to youth networks), and to keep these information channels updated,
  • We will have to give a unique feedback to secretariat (youth networks to secretariat, such as nominations for participation to workshops…)

To get started, please register yourself! In our official YOUNGO list. This will help us keep track of delegations, plan events such as the Conference and establish a contact list to connect everyone–efforts that we hope will go a long way to building a strong coalition of youth ready to make our presence felt in Copenhagen. Your contact details will then appear on the UNFCCC Contact List.
You can find more information on this earlier processes(2008) and discussions on the relevant page of the wiki.