One thing I've learned being here at the COP for five days now, experiencing the madness first hand, is that there is a rather twisted approach to actions and demonstrations on the conference grounds.
The United Nations Secretariat responsible for actions and demonstrations in Poznan wields considerable power over the sytle, content, length and location of actions run by participating organizations.
Interestingly enough, these actions generate quite a bit of international media coverage, creating powerful images. These actions, most of which are developed by the Youth International Delegation, are created as a means to express to delegates the urgency in the climate crisis, to demand accountability for governments that stall the UN negotiations process, and to illustrate the many hypocrasies in government actions (I just finished watching an action that targeted governments' willingness to bail-out banks but that refuse to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation measures).
To the extent that the UN is able conrol these demonstrations, the question is are they really demonstrations? Are they really conveying the mood of delegates to the conference? Are they really democratic?
On a few different occassions, the Canadian Youth Delegation received verbal reprimands from the UN Secretariat following peaceful demonstrations, once for making too much noise outside of the conference centre and once for handing out candies to delegates inside the centre (an action entitled "Treat 'n Meet") at the wrong time of day.
Essentially, the message conveyed was three strikes and you're out.
It's unfortunate (terribly unfortunate actually) that the UN is sending youth strong and conflicting messages. On the one hand, youth are looked to as a group able to push the envelope... to pressure countries to take climate talks seriously... and to hold countries accountable who are a barrier to progress. Conversations between Yvo De Boer (head of the UNFCCC Secretariat) and youth representatives confirmed this point.
And on the other hand, youth are given clear restrictions on how they do this, where they do this and when they do this.
Is their a legitimate fear that uncontrolled youth action during these climate talks will result in anarchy, preventing negotiators from doing their work? Or that giving young delegates the freedom to demonstrate how they feel, in their own words, will harm the reputation of the UN or the UNFCCC process?
Can unruly youth action at the UNFCCC cause dysfunction in the neogtiation procees? Or does dysfunction in UNFCCC process prompt unruly youth action?
So far, it seems all signs point to the latter.
