Reflections from a first time UN Blogger

By Clancy Moore On June 16, 2011 · 2 Comments

Pacific islanders adapt to climate change by planting mangroves

As a first time UN blogger (long time observer), watching the developments unfold at the UN Climate Negotiations in Bonn over the last week and a half, has been amazing, at times frustrating and through the lens of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), truly inspiring.

Firstly the complexity and size of the negotiations is amazing - with up to 30 informal sessions occurring at any one time. Then there have been the formal negotiating sessions on issues such as emission reductions, reporting and monitoring for emission reductions, the operations of the climate fund to help poorer countries adapt to climate change, how to enable technology transfer between countries, the legal form of a global agreement, the list goes on…

Frustrating is the slow progress being made on big issues such as where the US $100 billion, needed annually by 2020 for the climate fund, to assist poorer countries is going to come from. On this issue, the USA (the second biggest per-person polluter behind Australia) is refusing to even talk about sources of money for the climate fund. The other frustration has been the ‘gigatonne gap’, discussed in my previous blog, between current pledges to reduce emissions and the amount actually needed to limit warming to the two degree target agreed by governments last year at the UN Climate Change talks in Cancun, Mexico.

Inspiring is the work and advocacy of other climate trackers and NGOs attending the negotiations. The youth constituency began the second week of negotiations with a flashmob calling for governments to “raise ambition, reduce emissions” whilst the Robin Hood Tax campaigners reminded negotiators on how to raise money for the climate fund through a levee on financial transactions on banks.

Lastly, Australia’s role in the negotiations thus far, has been neither frustrating nor inspiring. Though one of our negotiators, Robert Owen-Jones has been exerting himself on behalf of NGO observers and Australia as a whole in pushing for better access for NGOs. Significantly, in a session on Expectations at Durban (location of the Climate Summit later this year), Australia described four achievable elements of a Durban outcome. These included an agreement to negotiate a legally-binding treaty and the inclusion of agriculture and food security in discussions around how poorer countries will have to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

I am also blogging on our sister site, A Climate for Change. Check out my blogs and join the community (link: www.aclimateforchange.org)

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  • Dave

    As a fellow Australian following the climate change debate globally, I’m glad to hear that we are doing some good.

  • Marc Trepanier

    The following was taken from http://www.msmignoresit.blogspot.com/

    We Pay Our Enemies

    From 2000 to 2009 the US, in grants and credits, gave the Middle East $78,006,000In 2008 the figure was $10,787,000,000In 2008 the US gave $131,724,000,000 to the world, of that the Middle East (Census Bureau Chart was not more specific) got $33,486,000,000We are a giving nation. These numbers do not reflect the private donations, UN monies, IMF funding, or income from other sources. Why are we giving so much aid to countries that already have national resources that are highly sought commodities? That is to say, oil is the highly sought commodity. Let’s look at some of these numbers in closer detail. In 2008 based on Census Bureau data the amounts of military and foreign economic aid (Table 1298) (NOP-Non OPEC Oil Producer);China $103,000,000 DAC Not found Algeria $13,000,000 OIC OPEC DAC 60 billion dollars in 2008 oil revenuesAngola $58,000,000 OPEC DAC 60.1 billion Ecuador $52,000,000 OPEC DAC 8.7 billion Iran $7,000,000 OIC OPEC DAC 73 billion Jordan $833,000,000 OIC DAC Kazakhstan $112,000,000 OIC DAC 140 billion Kuwait 0 OPEC 70.3 billion Libya $10,000,000 OIC OPEC DAC 50.3 billion Malaysia $53,000,000 OIC NOP DAC 60.1 billion Mali $140,000,000 OIC DAC Mauritania $240,000,000 OIC DAC Morocco $696,000,000 OIC NOP DACMozambique $799,000,000 OIC DAC Niger $50,000,000 OIC DAC Nigeria $485,000,000 OIC OPEC DAC 61.6 billion Oman $23,000,000 OIC DAC Pakistan $963,000,000 OIC DAC Qatar 0 OIC OPEC 33.5 billion Saudi Arabia $1,000,000 OIC OPEC 253.3 billion Senegal $78,000,000 OIC DACSierra Leone $12,000,000 OIC DACSomalia $351,000,000 OIC DACSudan $1,196,000,000 OIC DACSurinam $2,000,000 OIC DACSyria $36,000,000 OIC DACTajikistan $70,000,000 OIC NOP DACTogo $4,000,000 OIC DACTonga $2,000,000 OIC DACTunisia $11,000,000 OIC DACTurkey $21,000,000 OIC DACTurkmenistan $23,000,000 OIC DACUganda $456,000,000 OIC DACUAE $1,000,000 OIC OPEC 80.9 Uzbekistan $14,000,000 OIC Venezuela $19,000,000 OPEC DAC 53 billion dollars in 2008 oil revenuesYemen $37,000,000 OIC DACThe OIC has a permanent delegation to the United Nations, and describes itself as the second largest international organization after the United Nations.The member states of the OIC are also UN members. Doesn’t this create a situation in which some states are represented twice while other member states are represented only once?Most OIC member countries are non-democratic. This translates to anti-USOn August 5, 1990, 45 foreign ministers of the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam to serve as guidance for the member states in the matters of human rights in as much as they are compatible with the Sharia, or Quranic Law. Article 24 states, “All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari’ah.” and Article 25 follows that with “The Islamic Shari’ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration.”Contradictions between OIC’s and other U.N. member’s understanding of terrorism has stymied efforts at the U.N. to produce a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. In 2008 we, the United States, provided to OIC members $6,739,000,000. OIC states that are also OPEC earned a total of $4,635,000,000 in oil revenue.We are also providing assistance to these states to bring them into the global market, ostensibly so that all can benefit. OPEC/OIC states have received $11,734,000,000 US Tax Dollars.Some of the states listed above are located in West Africa. A region that is described by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies describes as a source of growing terrorism and related threats.Worst of the Worst FPM cross referenced with Hillary’s State Department ReportsSudan torture, rape, child sexual abuse, restrictions on speech, extrajudicial killings, obstruction of humanitarian aid, restrictions on movement, religion and gatherings, the government bombs and burns civilian areas, trafficking in persons, and the list goes on. Now, if a US contractor or military member is found to be paying for the trafficking of persons they will be brought up on charges and jailed. Why is it alright for the State Department to pay any country that continues this?Turkmenistan inability to change their government; reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees; incommunicado and prolonged detention; arbitrary arrest and detention; denial of due process and fair trial; arbitrary interference with privacy, home, and correspondence; restrictions on freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association; restrictions on religious freedom, including continued harassment of religious minority group members; restrictions on freedom of movement for some citizens; violence against women; and restrictions on free association of workers.Uzbekistan The United States is concerned by the Uzbek Supreme Court’s decision to close the Human Rights Watch Office in Tashkent. International NGOs such as Human Rights Watch have an important function to play around the world, and we regret that Human Rights Watch will not be able to do so in Uzbekistan. … The government tightly controlled the mass media and treated criticism of the regime as a crime.Iran Arbitrary or Unlawful Deprivation of Life, Disappearance, rape, murder, torture, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, denial of fair trial, no due process, confiscation of property (sounds like eminent domain), China Look into the archive list to the side as I have already begun their profile due to being part of the UNSC.Libya They were bad enough and weak enough for the UN to call military action against them a good thing.Syria The security forces committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, caused politically motivated disappearances, and tortured and physically abused prisoners and detainees with impunity …The government violated citizens’ privacy rights. The government imposed severe restrictions on civil liberties: freedoms of speech and press, including Internet and academic freedom; freedoms of assembly and of association, including severe restrictions on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and freedoms of religion and movement. An atmosphere of corruption pervaded the government. Violence and societal discrimination against women continued, as did sexual exploitation, increasingly of Iraqi refugees, including minors. The government discriminated against minorities, particularly Kurds, and severely restricted workers’ rights.Egypt Well, now that they are under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood, I think things are going from bad to worseVenezuela The following human rights problems were reported by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the media, and in some cases the government itself: unlawful killings, including summary executions of criminal suspects; widespread criminal kidnappings for ransom; prison violence and harsh prison conditions; inadequate juvenile detention centers; arbitrary arrests and detentions; corruption and impunity in police forces; corruption, inefficiency, and politicization in a judicial systemUgandaAgain, I have already begun a profile on Uganda as part of the UNSC

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