Sound bites from the corridors - Meeting with three European delegates in Durban

As the annual UN conference on Climate Change (COP-17) has now entered in the final stretch, the technical negotiations have now given way to more political discussions. Since Tuesday, climate ministers converged in South Africa. The atmosphere has suddenly changed in the corridors of the International Conference Centre of Durban. So far, discussions were held between a small community of experts who have worked together several times over the past months. As the ministers arrived, the conference entered into an entirely different atmosphere, with its share of drama and memorable press conferences. Most discussions now occur without the presence of NGO representatives, and often without that of many states.

It has thus become more difficult to know what is really going on in these negotiations. After having engaged steadily over the past year in the UNFCCC and developed a sense of ownership for the text under discussion, most of those attending the conference now roam the corridors in search for the last piece of information. This situation, which occurs every year during the final days of the annual climate conference is somewhat paradoxical since most of the delegates feel that they cannot play any substantial role at a time when discussions for once actually have the capacity to move ahead though the decisions to be made (or not) in the coming hours.

I took this opportunity to walk around the corridors and meet three Europeans who came to the COP from a different perspective. In the short interviews that follow, Bairbre de Brún, Heidi de Langhe and Laura Martin Murillo share their personal motivations and their insights into the process.

Bairbre de Brún, an Irish MEP, came to the COP17 as a member of the delegation of the European Parliament.

Laura Martin Murillo works for Sustain Labour, a platform working with unions around the world to strengthen the role of workers in the building of a green economy.

Heidi de Langhe is the official youth delegate of the Flemish Youth Council. In that capacity, she is part of the governmental delegation of Belgium and has thus more contacts with the negotiators of Belgium, as well as access to more sessions than the NGOs attending the COP.