The New Zealand Youth Delegation (NZYD) is a rocking group of 16 to 26 year olds who were the voice of New Zealand's youth at the climate talks in Copenhagen last December. Last night I had the pleasure of hearing some of the Auckland members of NZYD give a public debrief on their experiences at Copenhagen, and the road ahead.
Last December, the group of 12 NZYD delegates spent two weeks in Copenhagen's freezing winter running around trying to keep on top of the myriad talks, negotiations and impromptu demonstrations that made up COP15. As part of YOUNGO, the official youth representation organisation at the conference, NZYD called for a "FAB" (Fair, Ambitious and legally Binding) agreement. Although they were impressed by the amount of recognition youth received at the conference, they were also disillusioned by how cumbersome the negotiating process was, and how so many countries were still "playing to win" rather than to reach resolution on the issues. Worst of all, they (along with thousands of others) were locked out of the conference centre in the second week of the conference.
One of the highlights of Copenhagen was when they were invited to a wine and cheese function with the official New Zealand delegation. Determined to make the most of the opportunity, two of the delegates made a surprise presentation to the New Zealand delegation about the youth position on the negotiations. To top it off they presented Minister for the Environment Nick Smith and the Minister Responsible for International Climate Change Negotiations, Tim Groser, with a spinnaker covered in messages of support from thousands of New Zealanders and the NZYD policy document.
NZYD were ultimately disappointed by the last minute Copenhagen Accord. Looking ahead, they are currently working out their strategy for the lead-up to COP16 in Mexico in November this year, and they welcome input from other interested young people. You can find out more about NZYD and keep abreast of their plans on their website.
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