Protecting Civic Space: Climate Advocacy at Risk during UNFCCC Conferences

Background:
Over four years, the COP Safety Hub, a project by Climate Activists Defenders (CAD), has provided Holistic Safety and Security support to civil society participants at UNFCCC conferences. Drawing on this experience, CAD, with the support of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy (PICS) have compiled a comprehensive and detailed report looking at trends in the risks that civil society faces before, during and after their participation in multilateral processes such as the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Subsidiary Bodies Meetings (SBs) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Purpose of the Report:
The report is designed to be an advocacy tool for local and international civil society striving to counter reprisals and end the shrinking of the civic space during multilateral processes, identifying and tracing the clear patterns of repression, harassment and subsequent criminalization that civil society undergoes as a result of their engagement within these conferences. When climate advocates are at risk, so is advocacy. Therefore, this report provides evidence-based analysis and targeted recommendations to the UNFCCC, UNDSS, funders and civil society to protect civic space at global decision-making spaces.
Why This Matters
The climate crisis cannot be addressed without the participation of the communities most affected by it. Yet the spaces designed to represent those communities have become sites of surveillance, reprisal and exclusion. With the COP31 approaching, the window to act is narrow. At the launch, we will share key findings of the report and recommendations for:

1. The UNFCCC, UNDSS and institutional stakeholders to safeguard the process of multilateral climate diplomacy
2. Philanthropic and Non-profit actors who enable engagement with the UN process
3. Movement and civil society groups who experience the risks and challenges in the space

Event Overview

At London Climate Action Week, CAD and PICS will publish for the first time the findings of years of frontline protection work under the Safety Hub, and invite attendees to an exchange on safeguarding and security in the multilateral space.

The event will include a report presentation and panel discussion bringing together voices from across the climate diplomacy ecosystem, including:

• Civil society and movement groups directly experiencing risk within multilateral processes
• Institutional stakeholders responsible for the integrity and safety of these spaces
• Philanthropic actors supporting civil society engagement with the UNFCCC process

Please register to attend the event. We look forward to welcoming you there!

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Host or Publisher Climate Activist Defenders