NGOs slam 'undemocratic' UN talks

Civil Society Calls UN Climate Talks "Undemocratic"

Over 50 NGOs Criticize Secretariat's Draconian Access Rules

COPENHAGEN: Over 50 civil society organizations, from every continent have released a letter criticizing the UNFCCC's decision to limit access to the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

The UNFCCC secretariat and the Danish Government, as President of the Conference, have announced that, in addition to previously publicized limits on observers on Tuesday and Wednesday, only 1000 observers will be allowed into the Bella Centre on Thursday and only 90 observers will be allowed in on Friday.

The letter draws attention to many international agreements that outline the right to and the importance of public participation in environmental decision-making.

Referring to the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, which was signed in Denmark, and includes provisions for access to information and public participation in decision-making, the letter calls the proposed restrictions a "breach of these obligations by Denmark and other parties to the Aarhus Convention."

"The negotiations under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have a huge and increasing impact on the lives of ordinary people all over the world," the letter said.

"The eyes of the world are on Copenhagen and it is vital for civil society to be able to play its part in ensuring the success of the negotiations," the letter said.

TEXT OF LETTER

14 December 2009

To:

Connie Hedegaard, President, COP 15 and CMP 5

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Secretariat

RE: Restrictions on Public Participation at Copenhagen

We write to express our strong concerns about the intended restriction of civil society constituencies and peoples' movements during the last two days of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. In addition to limits on observers on Tuesday and Wednesday, we understand that only 1000 observers will be allowed into the Bella Centre on Thursday and only 90 observers will be allowed in on Friday. It is unacceptable that civil society observers should be limited in this forum, and we hope that the UNFCCC Secretariat and Danish Government will recognize and reverse this undemocratic action.

The negotiations under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have a huge and increasing impact on the lives of ordinary people all over the world. Their participation in the climate negotiations as members of civil society and peoples' movements is absolutely crucial for ensuring that the Copenhagen outcomes are just, effective and legitimate.

The eyes of the world are on Copenhagen and it is vital for civil society to be able to play its part in ensuring the success of the negotiations. The presence of the public ensures that the substance of the matters being discussed at the negotiations are subject to public scrutiny. The process of arriving at these outcomes must be fair, open and transparent. The legitimacy of this process is at stake.

Article 6 of the UNFCCC requires Parties to promote and facilitate public participation in addressing climate change and its effects and developing adequate responses. The right to participation in decision-making is also implied in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which guarantees the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs.[1] As a treaty adopted under the auspices of the United Nations, the ICCPR forms part of the legal context for UNFCCC negotiations and the UN Human Rights Council has stressed the need for treaty obligations such as this to be reflected in the negotiations process.

Further, as a Party to Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, Denmark (along with the majority of other Annex 1 countries) has a legal obligation to promote Aarhus principles in international negotiations. These principles include allowing access to information and public participation in decision-making. The proposed restrictions are a breach of these obligations by Denmark and other parties to the Aarhus Convention.

We therefore urge the UNFCCC secretariat and the Danish Government to reconsider the imposition of such draconian restrictions on observers. We believe that it is crucial to the success of the Copenhagen conference, and its implementation, that civil society and peoples' movements have access to these negotiations and we urge you to make sure that the full range of the voices of the world are heard here in the Bella Centre, and that the process is open to public scrutiny.

Sincerely,

Organisations Signed On

1Sky

ActionAid

Africa Contact

Australian Youth Climate Change Coalition

CAFOD (UK)

CAN China

CAN Europe

Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

Canadians for Action on Climate Change

Chesapeake Climate Action Network

China Association for NGO Cooperation (CANGO)

China Civil Climate Action Network" (CCAN)

Christian Aid

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine

Concerned Citizens against Climate Change

EcoNexus

ETC Group International

Energy & Climate Policy Institute, Korea

Environmental Network Civil Association of Argentina

FERN

Focus on the Global South

Foro Ciudadno de Participación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos

Friends of the Earth, Australia

Friends of the Earth, International

GCAP PERU

Global 2000

Global Witness

International Forum on Globalization

International Rivers

Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development

Jubilee Debt Campaign

Movement Generation Justice and Ecology Project

Miljöförbundet Jordens Vänner, Friends of the Earth, Sweden

Nepenthes, Denmark

Norwegian Church Aid

Norwegian Society for conservation of nature

Oil Change International

Pan African Climate Justice Alliance

Quercus - Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza (Quercus - National Association of Nature Conservation)

Rainforest Action Network

Resource Institute of Social Education-RISE 20, India

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Tanzania Forest Conservation Group

Tearfund

Third World Network

Trocaire, Ireland

World Council of Churches
World Development Movement

World Development Movement, UK

Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy

[1] See the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the relationship between climate change and human rights A/HRC/10/61, 15 January 2009