OUR MEMBERS
OUR MEMBERS
UK YOUTH CLIMATE COALITION
UKYCC AT THE UN CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS
Our COP working group approach climate justice at the international level. We spend the year training, plotting, and policy-wonking in preparation for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. These negotiations happen twice a year: the smaller event called Intersessionals in Bonn, Germany every summer and the larger event called COP (Conference of the Parties) in a different country each year in Winter.
These events are super complicated and exhausting but are a really important opportunity for us to contribute to the global fight for climate justice.
Main areas we have worked on at these negotiations:
WE DEMAND JUSTICE!
UK YOUTH DEMANDS FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
REPARATIONS
REPRESENTATION
RESPONSIBILITY
UK Youth are asking the UK Government to achieve climate justice on the national and international stage. We call for reparations, representation and responsibility from the government, can your organisation support our call?
The main activities we carry out at these negotiations are:
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Working within YOUNGO (the youth constituency) working groups to collaborate with global youth on climate justice issues.
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Working within the Demand Climate Justice (NGO consistency) to collaborate on climate justice campaigns with global allies.
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Working within Climate Action Network (NGO consistency) to collaborate on policy positions and campaigns with European allies.
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Hosting official UNFCCC side events that are open to the public and address various under-discussed topics.
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Running informal workshops to engage with young people at the conference, and encourage skill-sharing across networks.
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Organising actions inside and outside the conference space to draw attention to important issues, and draw attention to the real issues at play when discussing climate change.
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Following policy negotiations which help us better understand the progress (or lack of progress) that is being made on the Paris Agreement or other legislation under the UNFCCC.
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Writing blogs to share our experiences at the negotiations, and to help explain what these events are like.
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Broadcasting updates on social media to try and bring the negotiations back home.
VESTED INTERESTS
The UNFCCC, the key international space for creating global climate policy has no definition of conflicts of interest and no policy to regulate them. That means that the fossil fuel industry, who are not only the most responsible for climate change, but also some of the richest companies on the planet as a result, are allowed free reign within the UN climate space.
And free reign they have. The fossil fuel industry attend, speak, and negotiate at the UN climate talks, and have done so for years.
At UKYCC we believe that the fossil fuel industry have enjoyed privileged access to power & profit for far too long, and our planet paid the price.
We therefore campaign at the UNFCCC, under the Arrangement or Intergovernmental Meetings (AIM) negotiations where we push to demand that the UN institue a comprehensive conflicts of interest policy like the World Health Organisation did with the Tobacco Industry.
GENDER EQUITY
Women are often disproportionately impacted by the worst of the climate crisis. As caretakers, food providers and mothers the toll placed on women is only made worse by the changing climate.
This crisis as we know, is not just about our changing planet physically. Climate change is likely to bring a swarm of social injustices which will further exacerbate the gap between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the marginalised, and of course gender inequalities.
Our work at the UNFCCC involves ensuring a social justice dimension to the Paris Agreement both in writing an implementation.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Similarly to our work on gender, we have focused on ensuring a human dimension to the Paris Agreement. This means putting indigenous and global south voices front and center, passing the mic and recognising that historical global treaties have not served those most vulnerable.
We have been pushing for human rights to be enshrined in the language of the Paris Agreement and will continue to force governments to recognise the social implications of this treaty and climate change in general.
LOSS & DAMAGE
Loss and Damage refers to a time where the global communities failures have resulted in death and destruction. Mitigation is designed to prevent climate change from happening. Adaptation is designed to help people prepare for it’s effects. Loss and Damage is what happens after climate-events have struck.
At UKYCC we recognise that the international community needs to do a lot more to support states that are already being impacted by climate change. There is a moral imperative for the Global North to fulfil its historical duties in this regard.
We therefore campaign on the Warsaw International Mechanism to achieve