By Climate Spotlight Staff
In response to requests from parties to address a long-standing imbalance in COP representation, the UN Climate Change body is giving a larger share of attendance badges to non-governmental organizations from the Global South.
This move should give groups from developing countries a greater and more diverse voice at the climate summit. The change was made through an adjustment of the algorithm used to allocate badges to observer groups this year.
Historically, attendees from rich industrialized countries have formed the largest contingent of observers at climate summits. For example, half of all observers at COP28 in Dubai last year were from the bloc Western European nations – although countries in this group represent just 12% of the world’s population.
Last week, Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary said, “We need the COP progress and participation to reflect the fact that the climate crisis is hitting communities in every part of the world.”
Director of the Nairobi-based think tank, Mohamed Adow said, “For too long, the vast majority of COP badges have been held by people from a small part of the world but with disproportionately high emissions.”
Groups from the Global South have welcomed the reform, while some green groups from the Global North quietly expressed surprise and disappointment over the cuts to their allocated quotas and the way the changes were implemented.
Some groups from the Global North, have been vocal about their discontent following the changes. Several groups with a historically large presence at COP have so far received just a handful of COP29 passes.
According to Climate Home, a representative from one US-based group wrote a letter of concern to Executive Director Stiell at the end of August citing his discontent.
The letter argues that groups use their allocation to bring young people to the COP. The letter calls on the UNFCCC to revisit the quota allocation for COP29.
The UNFCCC did not comment on the letter but has called for greater global solidarity.
The overall number of observer badges has been cut by half this year due to a reduction of space at the COP29 venue, in Baku, Azerbaijan. While Dubai saw a record-breaking 84,000 people attending, a member of Azerbaijan’s COP29 organizing committee said in April 2024 that they were expecting around 40,000 people.
