Over the past few months, the COP president, Minister Sharma, recognised that a fully inclusive conference was a prerequisite for success, and committed repeatedly to ensuring that COP26 would be the most inclusive COP ever organised. ECO emphatically agrees.
The presence of civil society and Indigenous Peoples in the negotiations is essential for the legitimacy of the outcomes adopted at the COP. Public scrutiny is also critical to challenge the status quo and help Parties achieve more ambitious outcomes. Given the massive gaps in ambition acknowledged ahead of COP26, it is clear that this positive pressure will be needed more than ever if this COP is to make any real progress.
Yet, without any prior notice, civil society and Indigenous Peoples delegates learned on the first day of the COP that unprecedented restrictions will severely restrict observers’ access to the negotiating rooms. During the high level segment, civil society was almost entirely barred from accessing the plenary hall, being relegated to cafes and hallways. This left many wondering whether it would be worthwhile to come to the conference center at all over the coming days.
Observers were even unable to access a workshop on…wait for it…transparency — despite earlier reassurances that virtual participation would be guaranteed. After two years without any in-person meetings and before it has even properly began, the COP is already threatening to turn into a parody of a UN process.
While the final plenary last night saw the (temporary?) lifting of the ticketing system, the access rules as currently configured still threaten the inclusiveness and transparency of this COP — and thus risks the legitimacy of any negotiated outcomes.