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Climate change coalition at the CIVICUS World Assembly
Nastasya Tay (CIVICUS) spoke to Vicente García-Delgado, CIVICUS´ UN Representative and Global Youth Action Network
Release Date: 27 June 2008 - e-CIVICUS 395
Dear friends,
This year's World Assembly was the best so far by some margin. The diversity and engagement of participants, the innovative formats and relevant themes were all very much conducive to proactive work. It is encouraging to see the increasing interest around the issue of climate change - and it was
featured for the first time at this World Assembly. There was particularly much attention paid to the methods of mitigation and adaptation - both in and out of the climate change workshop. For more information, click here.
Climate change was first introduced as a serious concern to CIVICUS in 2007, which initiated a two-month
The workshop was run in an extremely creative and innovative participatory format, and was co-organised by the Global Youth Action Network and the Earth Charter Youth Initiative. Thanks must go to the Organisation of Argentinean Youth for the United Nations (OAJNU) and to the Federal Platform of
Argentinean Youth (PFJA), in particular, Dominic Stucker for the creative format of the workshop, and Leila Mucarsel, who contributed to the preparatory process for workshop and provided logistical support. The workshop was also co-sponsored by the First People's Worldwide Movement, and the African
Youth Initiative on Climate Change.
Feedback received from participants indicated that there is a feeling that CIVICUS has been slow on getting on board about climate change as an important civil society issue. Emphasis should be placed on advocacy on behalf of vulnerable communities at multilateral bodies such as the UN. A number of
significant events will take place in coming months, including the Annual Meeting of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) in
We plan to look closely at the complications presented by the emerging challenge of climate change, especially the issue of "climate refugees". A new definition of "refugee" is needed, as the current definition is essentially only a political term, which is no longer sufficient.
The phrase "climate refugees" has already been adopted by civil society, and CIVICUS is in the early stages of developing a strategy to give primacy to establishing a framework to protect such refugees under international law. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has already expressed
grave concern about this new challenge, and recognises that climate refugees are not included in the current legal definition.
Lines are becoming more blurred as to reasons why we have IDPs and refugees, and sometimes various reasons overlap, making it difficult to determine the primary cause. A new treaty needs to be signed by member states regarding this issue, or amendments need to be made to current legislation.
However, Commissioner Antonio Guterres acknowledges that the international community is not prepared to tackle the issue yet. Last year, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the "responsibility to protect", the profile of which is not very well-defined. Does this resolution
represent an obligation to protect IDPs if their government is unable or unwilling? And what influence does it have on cross-border migration - if migrants are being persecuted in their new country, is there a "responsibility to protect" then? CIVICUS will be working other coalitions of
civil society, particularly human rights and development coalitions, and other climate change coalitions to explore basis for strategy to deal with this issue.
Although CIVICUS is not currently a member of a climate change coalition, the Global Call to Action against Poverty (
It is increasingly clear that our global governance architecture is not equipped to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. More collaborative formulas need to be found for collaborative action to deal with these ongoing challenges in a just and equitable way.
Please send your comments and suggestions to CIVICUSUN@aol.com or editor@civicus.org.
Below you will find all previous columns of Vicente García-Delgado, CIVICUS UN Representative:
• Climate
Justice Workshop: Organising for effective community action on climate change
• GCAP, CIVICUS, ATD Fourth World address UN meeting on the MDGs
• Rebuttal to “Climate change is not as big a problem” article appearing on last week’s e-CIVICUS
• The global food crisis: Are the rich abandoning the poor?
• Climate Justice: Fighting climate adaptation apartheid
• Taking into account the full range of consequences --UN
DPI/NGO COnference calls to action on Climate Change
• NGO Accountability: One size does not fit all
• Global Challenges call for Globalising Democracy
• October 24, UN Day-Cause for celebration; reasons for concern
• Digital Divide or Digital Solidarity: Bridging the gap between the information-rich and the information-starved
• The UN: Limping along
• The last thing the world needs: Dismantling the UN
• The world needs a more democratic United Nations
• UN Management Reform hits a nerve: roadblock or power grab?
• A UN Secretary-General for “We the Peoples”: Civil society calls for a more democratic selection process
• Charting new ways of participation: Is it time for a Parliamentary Assembly at the UN?
• Changing the tone: General Assembly President Jan Eliasson reaches out to Civil Society
• Changing the tone: General Assembly President Jan Eliasson reaches out to Civil Society
• Argentina: Thriving without the IMF
• The Big Letdown: UN Summit shortchanges the poor
• The World Summit : UN Reform will mean little unless poverty eradication tops the agenda
• Millions roar but the G8 whispers - Let the Millennium+5 Summit make up the difference
• “Global Justice - Northern citizens have a special responsibility to make it happen”
• Letting the United Nations be all that it can
• “Appointment with History: The world looks up to John Bolton to help achieve the MDGs”
• “We are rolling!: Civil society’s call for poverty eradication impacts the World Economic Forum and the Group of Seven”
• No more excuses!: The Tsunami must not be allowed to wash away the Millennium Development Goals
• A Call To Action 2005: Global Civil Society mobilizes to demand an end to poverty and the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals
• TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: Should civil society and the Global Compact live under the same UN roof?
• The UN Global Compact: A big red herring disguised in UN blue?
• Happening now: A global revolution of consciousness
• Lasting security for all: Shifting from state security to security of the people
• The UN – Permanently relevant or temporarily relevant?