Public participation in climate governance is not only a crucial precondition for the effective design and implementation of policies. It is also a right protected under international human rights law and in legally binding instruments such as the Aarhus Convention and the Escazú Agreement. These rights must also be guaranteed and protected in international climate governance.
As the primary international forum for climate-related decision-making, it is essential that these rights be fully promoted in the context of United Nations climate conferences such as the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-26) taking place this year in Glasgow. Less than a month prior to COP-26, this side event offers an opportunity to review relevant existing obligations of States, lessons learned from previous climate conferences, and to consider practical opportunities to uphold these rights in the context of COP-26. This side event will comprise of three segments:
1) A Right-Based Approach to Public Participation in International Climate Governance
International experts working with the United Nations will define the international legal framework under human rights agreements and the Aarhus Convention applicable to the respect, protection, and fulfillment of procedural rights in international environmental forums.
2) Learning from Past Experiences related to Public Participation at UN Climate Conferences
A representative from a recent UNFCCC COP presidency will highlight examples of good practices with regard to the promotion of public participation in the context of UN climate conferences. A civil society delegate will offer testimony regarding issues faced by several NGO representatives who were arbitrarily denied the right to attend COP-24 in Katowice and the consequences of this infringement of their right to participate.
3) Moving Forward: Guaranteeing Public Participation at the COP-26
Guaranteeing safe, inclusive, and equitable participation by civil society representatives at the COP-26 is essential to the legitimacy of its outcome. Representatives of the UK COP-26 presidency and of a civil society network will discuss the specific challenges faced this year in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Two additional experts will also discuss the crucial opportunities offered by decisions to be adopted by COP-26 to promote and safeguard procedural rights in the domestic implementation
of the Paris Agreement.
REGISTER: bit.ly/Aarhus-Protected-Rights
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