ECO was excited to be part of the Presidency’s Open Dialogue yesterday. The event was unique because it allowed Parties and Non-Party Stakeholders (NPS) to gather around the same table and participate in a discussion, unlike the usual style of statements or interventions in plenaries, where typically observers get only very short slots at the very end.
ECO appreciates both the Presidency’s and Secretariat’s efforts which paved the way for this very much needed form of conversation between Parties and NPS. It was also great to see so many Parties participating in this event.
Two topics were selected for this session: “NDC enhancement and implementation” and “enhancing observer access to and participation in formal meetings”. Both are close to our hearts! Our hearts are also exceptionally warm since our representatives had the opportunity to make points on the importance of the Talanoa Dialogue as perhaps the last opportunity to increase mitigation ambition in order to bring us to a 1.5°C-compatible pathway. Additionally, our colleagues stressed NPS’ role of creating platforms for cross-border collaboration and that this form of conversation should continue.
We found these exchanges quite useful. However, ECO also believes there is room for improvement in regards to the methodology of the discussion. Rest assured, we found what the Parties and other NPS had to say interesting, despite the fact that many presenters kept their speaking approach pretty much, well… conventional. In future sessions, we would like to see more interactive “dialogue” at these Open Dialogues; featuring more discussions between participants and less delivering of prepared statements.
We all need to get used to this format through frequent practice. ECO is already looking forward to the next time.