A week after COP26, Aroe Ajoeni presented a ‘COP26 Debrief’ with two other panels; Meena Raman (SAM) and Nithi Nesadurai (EPSM) hosted by GDIM. The session focused on unpacking what went on at COP26 and how the outcomes will affect Malaysia.
The points that Aroe highlighted were:
Mobilization of climate activists since the beginning of 2021
Activists have consistently mobilized towards COP26 with climate strikes every week and international climate protests almost every month.
Capacity building before COP226
The demographics of ‘Fridays for Future’ activists are young people who are just learning about the structures of COP. In order to mobilize effectively, activists have to build their capacity; learning about climate finance, climate debts, loss & damage, etc. Although it was conducted online with different time zones, KAMY internal team also participated in this.
Experience inside the Blue Zone
Summary from Hailey Tan: Some of the key challenges faced at COP26 was the accessibility to press conferences and sessions as there was a strict limitation to the amount of people allowed in one space. Many seats were given to the press while delegates were asked to queue and wait outside until people inside left in order to be allowed in. Moreover, the youth activists were constantly being monitored and were not allowed to use public spaces within the Blue Zone to have discussions as all meetings had to be registered and authorized. As such, planning for actions were mostly done through messaging applications to ensure the safety of everyone. Many of the youth from the Global South felt either excluded or tokenized in many of the actions as well as press coverage (news, interviews, etc.). Despite that, it was great to see the youth from all over the world collaborating and working together as one. The voice of the youth has definitely been amplified at this COP with the participation of many youth activists. In the future, COP27 can be improved with more accessibility and inclusivity.
Youth call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty press conference
A few members Fridays for Future International (Philippines, Bangladesh, Uganda, Ireland) and KAMY (Malaysia) organized a press conference at COP to call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is supported by 101 Nobel laureates.
After COP26
Aroe highlighted that, although Malaysia has signed multiple pledges on the big stage, high level pledges don’t mean local implementation. Activists have to keep our eyes open and hold our government accountable.
Watch the recording here: