One can't help but to become frustrated here at COP. The slow negotiations is an obvious source of frustration but there is also so much unfairness in the air. The host country, Mexico, is doing a good job at trying to decrease the unfairness of the stakeholoders participation, by having hearings with the stakeholders like businesses, environmental organizations, youth organizations and others that are present at the negotiations and by preparing a review paper of stakeholder participation. Hopefully that helps because right now it feels like our possibility to have an effect on the negotiations are slim to none.

Over the weekend the champions worked as volunteers at the World Climate Summit, the business summit on climate issues. A demonstration was held outside when the summit started against the business presence at COP. But I feel that they are as entitled to be here as the other stakeholders. But I don't like the fact that just because they have bigger resources for lobbying, their voice is heard louder. That is very obvious in Finland, where for example youth are not included in the delegation nor heard before the negotiations and business lobbyist seem to be in charge of Finlands position in the climate negotiations.

Another thing I don't like was how we volunteers where treated at the summit. I found out that racism still exists. We where told that we may have lunch at the summit. Everyone else did not have a problem with this, but when our darker champions from Indonesia and Bangladesh went to take food, they where told that they shouldn't eat of the same lunch as the attendants who had payed $1.000 for the summit, or they would have to pay for it too. The issue got sorted out later, but left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Another thing that is unfair is that the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and especially the small island states (AOSIS) don't have enough resources to send negotiators to the COP. Recently the host country announced that no more than 6 meetings are going to be held at the same time, but there are still delegations with less delegates than that. The UNfairplay initiative is doing what they can to help out. UNfairplay is a group of young people that help underrepresented delegations by for example attending sessions and taking notes for them. They just came out with a report of the unfairness of the negotiations and suggestions of how to improve the situation. You can read the whole report Levelling the Playing Field - A report to the UNFCCC Secretariat by UNfairplay, here: http://unfairplay.info/

On this issue I also have to give a hand to Finland, who finances womens participation from the LDCs in the negotiations.

Today (2. December) is the youth and future generations day at COP16
in Cancun, Mexico. This means that during the day there will be a lot
of side-events and demonstrations to highlight the youth participation
in the negotiations. The day started with a silent demonstration, to
point out the fact that youth has very limited possibilities to affect
the negotiations. But since some excellent, unexpected good news on
Tuesday, this might change very soon. The so called Article 6 of the
climate convention, which deals with education, public awareness and
public participation, will be discussed in a contact group, and a
COPdecision of it might be done here in Cancun. This means that the
question will get much more attention than it has so far, and for
example more financing will be possible. A great thing is that the
draft that is proposed include a lot of the things the youth
constituency, YOUNGO, has proposed to the text. Fingers crossed that
it will go through! Follow the blog (and Twitter!) for updates on the
issue!

Not so long ago I did not think that I would be here now in Mexico.
Last year, after participating in the negotiations in Copenhagen, I
was really depressed about the result of the negotiations, like so
many others. I had lost my belief in UNFCCCs power to act and the
private sectors readiness and willingness to provide innovative
solutions to the climate change. But one could say that I lost my
religion, but found my faith. I found new faith in the youth! In
Copenhagen you could see them everywhere (I say them, because in
Copenhagen I didn’t participate as a youth delegate, but solely
represented my job at the Nordic Council of Ministers). The youth was
very engaged and knowledgeable and a positive force in the middle of
the nightmare that Copenhagen became. The global youth’s willingness
to take responsibility and act is something totally different than you
would think that the general atmosphere of the public is when you
follow the negotiators, who are not ready to compromise when it comes
to so called national interests. But the negotiators fail to see the
bigger picture and realize that the global interest is in everyone’s
national interest! Luckily the youth is in Cancun to remind them of
this fact, again!