Forward
In the lead-up to COP26 and with the necessary contribution of youth to climate decision-making, the West Asia team at Youth4Nature has drawn from its year-long experience engaging with youth the statements in the sections below. These reflections are a product of Youth4Nature’s West Asia team and are based on the regional engagement with youth in the nature and climate space. The position statements reflect Youth4Nature’s core topics of engagement; climate justice, indigenous rights to nature, and nature-based solutions.
With the absence of formal youth bodies, youth coalitions, and a general youth consensus over climate-related decision-making in the Arab world, our team decided that it is necessary that we voice our perspectives regarding the Arab group’s negotiations during COP events. Youth have the necessary knowledge and experience to influence policies on a national and regional level. This can only be showcased by voicing our concerns through positioning and reflecting.
The position statements included here consider social justice central in the Arab group’s adaptation and mitigation plans. We acknowledge that peace setting, economic support, and political stability are necessary to foster efficient and effective climate action. This also stems from our belief that climate justice is social justice and without a society in which individuals can move beyond their concern over their basic rights, creating wide-scale climate action will not be possible. Nevertheless, this does not exempt the Arab group from its responsibilities regarding climate adaptation and mitigation.
The following sections from the UNFCCC process were chosen:
Finance
NDCs
Global Stocktake
Market Mechanisms
Position statement - UNFCCC process
Position statement - The Arab group
“The Arab States is comprised of 22 member states namely Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.”
Finance
What is the Arab group’s position on Finance negotiations under the Paris Agreement? What about the finance under the UNFCCC?
What are your demands from developed countries?
What is your opinion on the balance between adaptation and mitigation finance? What is more important for the Arab group?
There is difficulty in addressing climate finance with the lack of a clear definition. Climate finance currently includes gaps in opinions because of the discrepancy between adaptation and development finance.
We call upon the Arab group to make use of article 11, the Green Climate Fund and the four other funds available to developing countries. Technology transfer is still weak in West Asia especially in agriculture. We call under the special climate fund, for increased technology transfer in the agriculture sector; that is technology that uses resources more efficiently, especially water.
West Asia will be one of the most affected regions from climate change. The region contributes partially to climate change and hence should have an adaptation priority. We call upon our regional leaders to prioritize adaptation policies over mitigation. Climate funding for countries in the Levant should be increased coming from the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, the Special Climate Fund, and regional funds from bodies in the Arabian Gulf. We demand a fair, increased, and transparent distribution of climate funds to countries under humanitarian and economic crises.
Developed countries are urgently requested to increase funding to support West Asian countries in achieving their NDCs, especially those suffering from recent economic and political crises that have jeopardized their ability to proceed with their determined commitments.
A reassessment of needs are requested through the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), the National Adaptation Programmes of Actions (NAPAs), the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs), the Biennial Updated Reports (BURs), as well as other national reports. We call for West Asian states to explicitly indicate the urgent need for reinforced assistance to meet their adaptation goals.
Adaptation plans should be approached from an ecosystem-based approach including nature-based solutions and away from monocultural tree planting. More clarity on adaptation plans to follow.
NDCs
What are the Arab group’s priorities on NDCs?
Should ambitions increase in NDCs for all parties, or just for developed nations?
What do you hope to achieve in the NDCs negotiations at COP26?
West Asian member states prioritize direct emission reduction strategies within their NDCs from energy production primarily. Most GHG emissions in West Asian member states are largely contributed to by the energy production sector. Mitigation strategies focus on the increase in reliance on renewable energy with energy efficiency schemes and technological process optimization.
Few member states including the UAE, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria have targets for nature-based solutions whether through the conservation of blue carbon ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, or the application of nature-based solutions in general. The UAE by far is the most ambitious member state in West Asia when it comes to holistic and bold target setting. In particular, we support the inclusion of nature-based solutions and investing in youth and women for climate action.
Given the fact that Iraq and Yemen have still not submitted their first NDC and that several countries in West Asia have economic and political challenges that have exacerbated or are still ongoing during recent years (Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine), we believe that increasing ambition in NDCs is not adequate for these member states. Primary focus and support for these parties should be on peace setting, economic support, and political stability. West Asia is amongst the regions that is and will continuously be most affected by the effects of climate change. Given their partial contribution to the climate crises, it is necessary for West Asian member states to prioritize adaptation strategies over mitigation.
Member states in the Arabian Gulf have set targets and goals in regards to emission reduction from direct energy production and transitioning to renewable energy. These member states have expressed in their NDCs that their national contribution to global GHG emissions is comparatively low to developed nations. In regards to reducing exports of fossil fuels, we have learned from our engagement and through member states’ releases that Arabian Gulf member states still deem their economies as growing and emerging and that it is necessary for them to rely on economic growth amid the global demand for fossil fuels has not decreased. However, given that the consumptive behaviors of these countries put them amongst the first countries to have the earliest overshoot days, it is necessary for them not to disregard their indirect impacts on the global ecological footprint, biodiversity, climate and environmental justice, and people’s livelihoods.
Youth4Nature remains committed to ensure that nature-based solutions that benefit the climate, biodiversity, and indigenous rights to nature are included in every NDC. We call for increased ambition for nature-based solutions in all West Asian member states’ NDCs.
Global Stocktake
What is the Arab group’s overall position on the global stocktake? Are you in favor of the 5 years timeline or 10 years timeline?
West Asian member states emphasized the need for detailed and credible sound science in the implementation of the global stocktake.
We acknowledge the need to consult non-party stakeholders, especially youth in the process of the global stocktake. The European Union has suggested the inclusion of the nine constituencies of the observer organizations accredited under the UNFCCC. We call upon the Arab group under Saudi Arabia’s leadership to include youth as part of their global stocktake process while formalizing an Arab youth-led body that will act as the official youth entity giving inputs on the Arab group’s global stocktake.
Market Mechanisms
Parties failed to agree on this at COP24 and COP25. In particular:
Article 6.2: Governs cooperative approaches between Parties. This essentially sets the rules on how future carbon credits will be exchanged, transferred, and accounted for.
Article 6.4: Establishes a market-based mechanism that will enable the reduction of emissions from the project and system-based activities
What is the Arab group’s position on this and what are you aiming to achieve at COP26?
The Arab group has clearly expressed the need to take into account national circumstances and differences between developed and developing countries. They have also expressed interest in non-market-based mechanisms that include capacity-building, technology transfer, environmental education and resource policies.
The Arab group commented on the creation of a framework for approaches by noting the following:
If a Market-based mechanism is established under the Convention, it should not introduce emission reduction commitments for developing countries.
Ensures voluntary participation by Parties and preserves the ability of Parties to develop other private public partnerships, market-based and non-market based mechanisms in accordance with their national circumstances.
Emission reduction commitments of the developed country Parties should be achieved mainly through domestic efforts and FVA could only play a complementary role.
We acknowledge that the Arab group member states have different circumstances that need to be taken into consideration. Those that are suffering from current wars, political unrest, economic crises, and high poverty rates should be least considered among the Arab group for market and non-market-based mechanisms. We do, however, see the necessity for member states with high GDP to take part in market and non-market-based mechanisms given their ability to do so financially and given the urgency of the climate crisis.
Statement - UNFCCC process
What do you hope to come out with at COP26?
What do you think Arab states can do better at UNFCCC meetings?
What are your recommendations for Arab civil society organizations at UNFCCC?
We hope that the summit will take into consideration that:
NDCs of member states who are suffering from social, economic, or political crises will be harder to achieve under unconditional and conditional commitments over the coming decade.
Funding for developing and emerging economies must be increased for adaptation.
Nature-based solutions are prioritized as adaptation and mitigation strategies are given their low-cost benefits to people, biodiversity, and the planet.
As for the Arab group, we urge the need for:
Consideration of national indirect emissions contributing to the climate crisis through consumptive behaviors and import dependency.
Narrating the effects of the climate crisis on the region and its people.
Better regional cooperation among the member states especially for enhancing funding for nature-based solutions to countries suffering from crises.
Pro-active involvement of youth through co-leadership of decision-making on climate and nature.
Arab civil society is urged to hold decision-makers and member state representatives at COP26 for the commitments they make, the urgency of the crisis on a regional level, and the transparency and involvement of all members of society in climate action.
Statement - the Arab group
What do you think the Arab group can do better at the UN negotiations?
How can civil society and Arab governments work together on climate?
What do you hope Arab countries will achieve in terms of climate action work?
Do you have any recommendations for the governments?
Do you have any recommendations for civil society organizations in the Arab region?
The Arab group is expected to raise regional and local concerns regarding the effects of climate change and the social, economic, and political spaces that affect the actions needed to foster positive changes. The Arab group needs to upbring the cultural, traditional, and social aspects governing climate action in their region. Furthermore, more funds are needed to implement the NDCs and other commitments.
Arab governments are urged to include civil society organizations in their planning processes, decision-making, and implementation of actions. To enable this inclusivity, transparency and access to information is required from the governments. The Arab group governments need to include community-based approaches and work on decreasing the divide between high-level decision-making and public engagement.
Civil society organizations, especially youth-led organizations are already doing much in terms of climate action. These organizations require financial support to sustain their work as well as inclusivity in decision-making processes. Several national and regional bodies such as the Gulf Cooperation Council and the League of Arab States should include climate objectives and foster the involvement of youth and civil society in their decision-making processes. The United Arab Emirates with its Ministry of Youth is already involving youth in many climate-related actions and processes. This is far from being achieved in most of the other Arab states. As long as civil society and youth are left out of public decision-making, the Arab states are far from reaching full public engagement in climate action.