25 nov. 2012

YMCA at COP18


The world´s largest youth organization is on location for the COP18 in Doha, Qatar, the yearly UN conference of the parties on climate change, to advocate for youth´s participation and influence on the climate change negotiations. This year’s YMCA delegation consists of coordinator Marcus Gustafsson from Sweden along with Sofia Widén and Andreas Axelson as well as Håvard Skjerdal and Sunniva Håberg from Norway.  The expectations of the delegation are to raise the general awareness of the climate change and to advocate for youth’s increased participation in the work on climate change. High expectations have preceded many of the previous negotiations but have repeatedly come short due to late lock-downs and inability to reach consensus between developed and developing countries.

 The major issues to be negotiated on during the COP18 are particularly to come to a conclusion on the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol and to work out the commitments under the Durban Platform. Although the convention has many focal points and different working areas, the main aim of the negotiations will concern the mitigation goals and the commitment periods. It remains to be seen whether there will be an agreement on the different roles of the developed and the developing countries.
In this process the NGO:s play a key role in putting pressure on the national delegations and spreading the word of the climate change negotiations outside of the conference walls. YMCA has a unique opportunity to create opinion as well as grass root level action with the strength of an International organization in order to create change.

This conference the world needs to see progress on the climate change negotiations and we are here to make sure that the voice of youth is heard and to emphasize that change is crucial and possible. The youth of today are the ones who will be affected of our fevery mother earth and her future symptoms, why we must show the world that we want to take possession of our own destiny today. 

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