Guyana to attend global climate conference in November
Guyana will be among hundreds of countries attending the landmark 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) set to open in November.
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, MP, will be leading a high-level delegation to Glasgow, Scotland, the host country of COP26.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, MP, said Guyana has been doing its part to counter climate change and will be making its representation at the conference.
“We can definitely see the effects of climate change taking place today from the effects of emissions. We know that we are a small country but we have been contributing towards keeping down emissions. A high-level delegation that will be headed by the Vice President will be attending COP26.”
COP (Conference of the Parties) are the 197 Parties (196 countries and the EU) that are signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – a treaty agreed to in 1994.
UN climate change conferences are among the largest international meetings in the world. The negotiations between governments are complex and involve officials from every country in the world, as well as representatives from civil society and the global news media.
Activity at a COP takes place in two different zones – the Blue Zone and the Green Zone.
The Blue Zone is for people registered with the UN body tasked with coordinating the global response to the threat of climate change. In the Blue Zone, delegates from countries meet for both formal negotiations and informal consultations.
Participants may also take part in meetings with other delegations to clarify their positions and interests with the aim of reaching agreement or overcoming a negotiating deadlock. The UNFCCC will also host a range of events, including technical briefings, to support the negotiations. The Green Zone is for the general public. There will be a wide range of events, including workshops, art exhibitions and installations, as well as presentations, demonstrations of technology and musical performances for participants to attend.