The Santiago Network is the proposed catalyst for delivering technical assistance to the countries and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. If there is one thing that is clear following week one at COP27, it is that no one is in denial about the scale of the need, and the fact that we need new and additional resources to confront this problem. But it’s not just about resourcing, it’s also about how these resources are applied—and the best possible technical expertise must be mobilized to respond to this growing challenge. This is in the form of technical skills, as well as in local competency: those community scale organizations who understand the local issues, but that are all too often overlooked in global processes and international funding calls.
As new draft text arrives, ECO has noticed some progress. We have text, but sadly this text has three major shortcomings. First, where are Human Rights? The Santiago Network needs to operate on human rights principles and these should be enshrined as a central precept upon which the entire network, including the advisory board and the secretariat, operates. Second, where is the environment? Why are the Environmental NGOs not included in the membership of the advisory board? How can the advisory board do its job when biodiversity and environment are not represented? We have heard throughout this COP about the importance of biodiversity and the fact that actions to address loss and damage must be built on healthy natural ecosystems—which themselves face escalating loss and damage if they are ignored. Finally, where’s the money? How do we ensure that the funding of the Santiago network is reliable, predictable and appropriate to the scale of the need? Come on contributors, we cannot have a ceiling on the funds for the Santiago Network, especially when we don’t know the true scale of the challenge that the Santiago Network is expected to face.