1. Public participation in the climate negotiations: an NGO perspective
PIEL
Friday 15th April 2016
Gita Parihar
Head of Legal, Friends of the Earth

2. Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) - world’s largest grassroots environmental network
77 national organisations from countries in both the global North and global South
2 million members
FOEI has attended UNFCCC negotiations since their inception.

3. International legal principles
The Rio Declaration, Agenda 21,and the Aarhus Convention all affirm that the best environmental decisions are made when civil society participates.
High Commissioner on Human Rights has noted that the right to participate is implied in Article 25 of the ICCPR

4. UNFCCC
Art 4 (1) (i) provides that Parties “shall … encourage the widest participation in this process, including that of non-governmental organizations,”
Art. 7, para. 2(l). requires the COP to “[s]eek and utilize, where appropriate, the services and cooperation of, and information provided by, competent international organizations and intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies.”

5. Participation in the UNFCCC
Aarhus Convention Art 3(7):“Each Party shall promote the application of the principles of this Convention in international environmental decision-making processes and within the framework of international organizations in matters relating to the environment.”

7. Copenhagen
Is this when it all went wrong?

8. Aarhus international participation taskforce meeting in Geneva
Outreach to the unfccc and recommendations to Aarhus member states.
The beginning of a beautiful friendship?

9. Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) “…contributions of observer organisations should be enhanced in the UNFCCC intergovernmental process.”
UNFCCC guidance recommending that first and last informals should be open.

10. U. N. Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said on Oct
U.N. Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said on Oct. 22: “…the Secretary-General has always encouraged…the greatest amount of access possible for civil society… they have a very important role to play in making sure that the Governments of the world take climate change, and our considerations on climate change, seriously. And so we do hope for greater involvement as this proceeds,”

11. #keepusintheroom

12. Actions

13. In whose name?