Voices from the Bonn Climate Conference
Thousands of participants gathered in Bonn for two weeks to develop a "rule book" for implementing the Paris Agreement. Here, civil society representatives expressed themselves in their own words.
Seeking a gender-responsive approach
"We want women's perspectives from every single part of the world to be taken into account. I would love to see more participation of civil society and to see the private sector as a private sector, not as a civil society actor." - Daniela Pedraza, from the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
Getting the funding to flow
"We still miss a commitment for action. We know what we need to do, what technologies need to be used and how to progress - but the funding is not flowing." - Maryke van Staden of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Many years' work
"The Paris agreement was a big step, but it takes a lot of years to get there. What we hope is that at the next COP, there will be good progress on the details." - Gareth Phillips, climate change and green growth officer at the African Development Bank Group
Engaging youth from the Global South
"Young people generally have real inputs in the meetings here in Bonn - and they are valued by negotiators. Obviously, young people are involved in delivering information about education. We also have a very active working group this year focusing on oceans, agriculture, health, mitigation." - Joanna Read, on the international team at the UK Youth Climate Coalition
More ambition needed
"People feared that Donald Trump could disrupt these negotiations - but things are moving on, which is really important and good news. The crucial part is getting countries to commit to more ambitious promises to protect the climate. What we see is that change is happening. Despite the American election and Trump, the world is moving towards renewables." - Andreas Sieber of Climate Tracker
Implementation is also personal
"We could all be part of ending the climate crisis. Everyone was excited when the Paris Agreement came out - now, it is about implementation. People need to see that the UN and governments are not going to end the crisis. Daily taken individual actions are actually going to end the crisis - not the legislation, diplomacy and agreements." - Laughlin Artz, executive director of 2020 or Bust