Organizations call for urgent reform in UN climate negotiations
Two hundred organizations call for reforms at the UN and report deadlocks and corporate influence ahead of COP 30 in Brazil
Representante de organizações da sociedade civil lançam chamado na Alemanha: Foto: Reprodução
Amid preparatory debates for COP 30, which will take place in Brazil in November, more than 200 civil society and Indigenous peoples’ organizations issued a joint call on Monday (23), during the Bonn Conference in Germany for urgent reform of the UN climate negotiations process. Bonn is hosting the UN´s annual preparatory meeting to discuss progress in climate negotiations ahead of the COP climate summits.
Conectas is one of the signatories of the initiative which proposes structural changes to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), aiming to make it more effective in addressing the climate crisis and more committed to human rights.
The title of the document is “A United Call for Urgent Reform of UN Climate Negotiations”, and it denounces the stagnation of negotiations over the past three decades, a period in which global emissions have continued to rise, exacerbating the impacts of the climate emergency, particularly in the countries of the Global South. The text also warns of the growing influence of polluting companies within the COP framework, often turning meetings into corporate showcases, disconnected from the real needs of the most vulnerable populations.
Read more
The proposal presented in Bonn brings together five central pillars of reform: restoring the balance of power and equity in negotiations; ending corporate influence that compromises the integrity of the processes; increasing transparency and accountability for decisions; ensuring respect for human rights and bolstering international climate governance. Among the suggested measures is the possibility of adopting decisions by qualified majority, instead of the current consensus model, which often leads to deadlocks. It also calls for the creation of an integrity framework to prevent conflict of interest and restrict the presence of fossil fuel lobbyists at climate conferences.
For Camila Mikie Nakaharada, advisor on the Defending Socioenvironmental Rights program at Conectas, Brazil´s presidency of COP30 represents a historic opportunity. “By assuming the presidency of COP30, Brazil is occupying a central role in a crucial debate about the future of the global climate regime. It is time to move forward with the implementation of the Paris Agreement with justice for those most affected. The world is expecting Brazil to lead the necessary transformations.”
The document is endorsed by large international networks such as Climate Action Network (CAN), the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ), YOUNGO (the youth constituency of the UNFCCC) and the Women and Gender Constituency (WGC). The proposal is also signed by organizations like Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Corporate Accountability and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
The joint call reinforces the urgency of rebuilding the legitimacy and effectiveness of UN climate negotiations, as the environmental crisis gets worse, global inequality grows and pressure for real climate justice increases, especially for the peoples and communities most affected.
Watch the statement by Camila Mikie Nakaharada, from Conectas:
