The Talanoa Spirit
Posted by: Anna McGinn
A new concept has been introduced to the COP, and it is catching on--Talanoa. Talanoa is described by the UNFCCC as the following:
While the Talanoa dialogue is now an official aspect of the work conducted by countries here at COP23, there is an effort by the Fijian Presidency to spread the spirit of Talanoa throughout the entire COP. In keeping with this goal, for the first time ever, the UNFCCC hosted an open dialogue between parties (countries) and non-parties (NGOs) where everyone had the potential to have equal representation and priority at the table.
In the opening statement of the meeting, the Prime Minister of Fiji suggested that success of this meeting can be measured by future COPs committing to hosting a similar dialogue in years to come. As the three hour discussion played out, Poland (who will host COP24 next year) made a statement which suggested that they will, in fact, host another open dialogue next year. So, it seems as though a new form of communication between countries and non-countries has been established, and this is always exciting news for those of us in the non-countries groups who are always looking for ways to further support the success of the negotiations.
So, what was discussed? There were two major areas of discussion: how can government and non-government work together to strengthen countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement, and how can the UNFCCC strengthen the role of non-government in the UNFCCC processes?
What emerged was a clear signal that everyone values the contribution of non-countries groups to taking actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. One key point raised was the ability of non-country groups to work across borders while countries are restrained by working within the borders system. Basically, NGOs can create coalitions and take actions with people within many countries much more easily than governments can. Some countries emphasized that non-countries are also critical to figuring out how the country commitments under the Paris Agreement can be investable and financeable. For example, how can government write their commitment so that companies will be compelled to invest and support the commitments in coming to fruition?
While difficult to have a real discussion among an 80 person roundtable, it seems that there is, at minimum, a recognition that countries should not be working on the issue of climate change in isolation even within the UNFCCC context. This is actually a relatively new realization and one that will definitely continue to evolve as countries try to figure out how non-countries groups can best be integrated into a state-centric international relations process. Some of the speakers pointed out that other UN processes, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization, have set great precedent for such actions and should be referenced as the UNFCCC continues on in this endeavor.
It seems that many non-country groups see this open dialogue as a entry point to stronger engagement with the countries going forward, but they are not yet convinced that this will be a sustained effort on the part of the countries to include them within UNFCCC processes. It remains to be seen to what extent this Talanoa spirit will be carried forward.
*Note bolded text is not bolded in the original format.
A new concept has been introduced to the COP, and it is catching on--Talanoa. Talanoa is described by the UNFCCC as the following:
Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions, which are for the collective good...Blaming others and making critical observations are inconsistent with the building of mutual trust and respect, and therefore inconsistent with the concept of Talanoa. Talanoa fosters stability and inclusiveness in relation to dialogue, by creating a safe space which embraces mutual respect for a platform for decision making for a greater good.*It seems that this has been largely embraced by countries as a framework under which they will work to increase ambition under the Paris Agreement.
While the Talanoa dialogue is now an official aspect of the work conducted by countries here at COP23, there is an effort by the Fijian Presidency to spread the spirit of Talanoa throughout the entire COP. In keeping with this goal, for the first time ever, the UNFCCC hosted an open dialogue between parties (countries) and non-parties (NGOs) where everyone had the potential to have equal representation and priority at the table.
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| Open Dialogue in the spirit of Talanoa on Wednesday morning |
So, what was discussed? There were two major areas of discussion: how can government and non-government work together to strengthen countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement, and how can the UNFCCC strengthen the role of non-government in the UNFCCC processes?
What emerged was a clear signal that everyone values the contribution of non-countries groups to taking actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. One key point raised was the ability of non-country groups to work across borders while countries are restrained by working within the borders system. Basically, NGOs can create coalitions and take actions with people within many countries much more easily than governments can. Some countries emphasized that non-countries are also critical to figuring out how the country commitments under the Paris Agreement can be investable and financeable. For example, how can government write their commitment so that companies will be compelled to invest and support the commitments in coming to fruition?
While difficult to have a real discussion among an 80 person roundtable, it seems that there is, at minimum, a recognition that countries should not be working on the issue of climate change in isolation even within the UNFCCC context. This is actually a relatively new realization and one that will definitely continue to evolve as countries try to figure out how non-countries groups can best be integrated into a state-centric international relations process. Some of the speakers pointed out that other UN processes, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization, have set great precedent for such actions and should be referenced as the UNFCCC continues on in this endeavor.
It seems that many non-country groups see this open dialogue as a entry point to stronger engagement with the countries going forward, but they are not yet convinced that this will be a sustained effort on the part of the countries to include them within UNFCCC processes. It remains to be seen to what extent this Talanoa spirit will be carried forward.
*Note bolded text is not bolded in the original format.
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