The climate crisis affects marginalized communities disproportionately more than others even though they are the least responsible. That alone should be reason enough to give them space in the UNFCCC climate negotiations so they can bring in their perspectives and to include them in the decision-making. But the current tendency seems the exact opposite.
COPs are and have been notoriously exclusive
COPs have long been an exclusionary affair. In recent years, participation in the conference has expanded exponentially, with both country delegations and civil society organizations getting more and more badges. Last year’s COP was the largest ever held, with 97,000 participants given badges to attend the conference in person in Dubai. These numbers are almost double those at COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, which was then considered the largest COP in history. Half of these participants (51,695 to be precise) held party badges - government delegations mostly comprising government officials - with a smaller proportion of industry actors and civil society organizations closely aligned with these delegations. NGOs with observer badges included 14,338 delegates. Even though this was the highest number of badges ever given to NGOs, their numbers still lag far behind the official country delegations. In this context, the reduction in badges allocated to NGOs for COP29 in Baku seems unethical and unfair.
COP28 was also the first COP where every single delegate was named on the official list released by the UNFCCC. This was an outcome of long-drawn civil society pressure to reveal the names and organizational links of the delegates, ensuring transparency at the conference. Such transparency has especially helped reveal the sheer number of fossil fuel lobbyists at COPs, which often outnumber even the largest country delegations and raise questions about how ambitious the agreements can truly be, given this obvious influence.
Financial exclusion - especially for young and marginalized participants
However, several barriers remain for civil society organizations (CSOs) to participate in and contribute to COPs meaningfully. Every year, as COP approaches, flight and hotel prices skyrocket in the host city. At COP26, activists from around the world – especially those from Global South countries - faced additional challenges due to unequal vaccine access, pandemic restrictions, visa requirements and lack of funding. Additionally, the BBC found that a hotel room, which typically costs £42/night, was being advertised at £1,400/night. The exorbitant prices each year effectively exclude smaller NGOs, activists, and non-state actors from the Global South. This reality forces participants to either seek additional funding or spend exorbitant amounts from personal savings simply to attend COP, even after securing one of the scarce badges, without taking into consideration the issues such as visa denials or potential health-related restrictions.
Young people have been bringing climate issues to the agenda worldwide for years - yet, they are continually kept out of the negotiation rooms.
For young people who are often still studying or just beginning their careers through unpaid internships or low-paid entry-level jobs, this is a severe burden that often prevents them from attending. It is their future being discussed at these conferences, their opportunity to survive on a liveable planet. Young people have been at the forefront of climate activism, bringing climate issues to the agenda worldwide for years. Yet, they are continually kept out of the negotiation rooms.
This burden is even greater for already marginalized individuals, such as migrants who lack legal status to travel to these conferences, or representatives from Global South who - on top of all of this – must deal with time-consuming and costly travel, further complicated by visa restrictions and currency exchange rates. Indigenous people face additional barriers as well, still fighting for recognition in many of their own countries, let alone in global climate negotiations.
Marginalizing through agenda setting
But there is more: UNFCCC COPs typically have thematic days. These are meant to spotlight certain topics, encourage side-event organizers and pavilion hosts to tackle the thematic area, raise awareness and discuss its respective importance to the climate agenda. This year, the allocations have shifted considerably. Since COP26, we have had a designated “Youth Day”, which paid tribute to the outstanding contribution of young activists and professionals in raising awareness about the climate crisis and finding just and ambitious solutions. Youth Day provided a dedicated space for young representatives to share their views, advance advocacy and amplify their voices.
For COP29, “Children and Youth” have been combined with human development, health and education. While these are all critical topics, the shift represents a setback in acknowledging the importance of youth in climate negotiations. It also raises serious concerns that their demands will now be overshadowed by the other topics discussed on that day.
A similar marginalization has affected other groups: Indigenous peoples and women. Both groups previously had dedicated days to highlight the intersectionality of discrimination and their heightened vulnerability to climate crisis effects. Indigenous peoples are the stewards of 80% of the world’s biodiversity and possess traditional knowledge crucial for addressing climate change – knowledge that should be heard in negotiations.
Now, these groups are combined not only with each other but additionally with themes like nature and biodiversity, as well as ocean and coastal areas. Considering the growing calls to closer link the climate and biodiversity crises and to address their combined effects synergies, it is questionable whether indigenous rights and gender equality will receive the attention they deserve in the discussions. This clearly underlines the shift away from including the most affected and marginalized groups in the effort to negotiate lasting, just and ambitious solutions.
Give a voice to those affected!
These developments are deeply worrying, as the climate crisis must be tackled holistically, with negotiations that prioritize the inclusion of those most affected. We need solid structures for the representation of marginalized communities in the UN processes, structures that protect them from the personal choices of the respective presidencies, that ensure their voices are heard and amplified and their demands are met. Working towards these structures should be a responsibility not only of the UNFCCC secretariat but also of all participating parties.
