Thursday, December 17, 2009

COP: Day 10

Today was certainly a very interesting day for us in Copenhagen. There was success, surprise, and frustration.

There was a planned (and unapproved) protest (which will be explained later) that took place in and around the Bella Center this morning. There were hundreds of Danish police and police vehicles surrounding the center. Again, the train station was closed, so we had to walk to the center from the stop either before or after the center itself.

In the morning Emily attended the YOUNGO spokescouncil meeting, which took place outside of the Bella Center under a pond! They weren't imitating the Maldives government (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8311838.stm)... there was a dry (but moldy) room. The spokescouncil discussed the approval of future actions as well as who should attend the actual COP15 sessions this Friday (the one ticket that YOUNGO has is going to a youth from Latin America).

Later that day Emily went to Klimaforum in the city and attended a panel discussion on solar energy. She also interviewed several women about the issue of gender and the environment.

Sarah spent the day inside the Bella Center. She was involved with the WAGGGS side event in which WAGGGS delegates explained their projects from home and informed the public about issues of women, youth and the environment.
After that, Sarah joined other WAGGGS delegates for our action, in which we sang an environmental version of the campfire song, "One Voice". We caught the attention of many people and politicians!

Maria had the intention of entering the Bella Center around noon by exchanging a pass with a WAGGGS delegate who was leaving the center at that time. It happened at that time, about one hundred protesters left the center and met several hundred other protesters outside the center (and the police lines). Entry for all NGOs was immediately cut off, and Maria was left outside the center (safely but cold) to watch all the police-protester action going on outside. She tried to reason several times with the police in a three hour period, but eventually left when it was really very clear that no more NGOs could enter.

The protesters were protesting the limited access of "civil society" and NGOs allowed to enter the conference.

Overall, a different day for all of us. Tomorrow will be a very different pace from the rest of this conference, as we will be watching the negotiations from an online broadcast.

Goodbye, Bella Center!

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