Organizers want it to be inclusive, but how diverse is the negotiating table?

2023-12-09 23:48:01

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sitting in a room packed with participants at the United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai, climate activist Lisa NoBaya asked delegates what inclusivity means at COP28. Does it mean that the diverse voices are simply present or that they actively participate in the outcome of the conversations?

The 28-year-old’s question received affirmative gestures from the entire room. Many women, youth and indigenous voices say they feel relegated to mere attendance, with few opportunities to contribute substantively to crucial meetings, despite promises to make conversations more inclusive. Even attendance at the talks is unequal, they say, making meaningful inclusion even more difficult.

“If by inclusivity they understand that women, youth and the indigenous community only have to be present here and not speak, then this is not inclusive, but ridiculous,” said NoBaya.

COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber previously promised to ensure that this year’s climate summit would be the most inclusive and action-oriented yet, bringing perspectives from all walks of life: From voices such as young activists to of fossil fuel companies, the latter the cause of fierce criticism from environmentalists.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chad’s negotiator, said it’s not just regarding how many women are in the rooms, but how many are in charge. At last year’s summit, it was two women who paved the way to the negotiations’ biggest success: The creation of a fund for loss and damage caused by climate disasters in developing countries.

Of the 133 world leaders who gave speeches in the first days of COP28, only 15 were women. It was an improvement from the previous year, when only seven of the 110 leaders in attendance were women. Among the delegates, only 38% were women, according to data from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change regarding the registration of delegates, three percentage points more than last year.

There were some visible attempts at inclusion from the presidency: When al-Jaber announced the ministerial pairings to lead parts of the negotiations, five of the eight ministers were women, and three of them came from countries in the Global South. But overall, women remain underrepresented in negotiations, according to delegates.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part of a series produced under the India Climate Journalism Programme, a collaboration between The Associated Press, the Stanley Center for Peace and Security and the Press Trust of India.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage is supported by several private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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