Each night before I settling into bed, I take a few moments to sit on the crumbling deck outside my second floor hostel room. Darkness falls and a cool salty breeze makes its way through the maze of concrete buildings. I stare across the road at the well lit International Convention Center, home of the 2011 the UN Climate Change Negotiations. On several occasions over the weekend, my reflection has been broken by the sound of siren and a police motorcycle escort sheperding a fancy car through the gates. These vehicles harbor the "high-level" officials who will handle the next stage of the negotiating process.
As we kick off the second week of the negotiations, the halls are abuzz with activity. Over the course of the last week, negotiators have been establishing agendas, methodologies, and protocols; laying groundwork for the meaty meetings that will ensue from now until Friday. If I am tired at this point in the process, I can only imagine how exhausted the negotiators must be. Throughout the meetings today there were several references to late night reviews of the newest proposals and revisions of the latest draft documents. As "high-level" officials arrive this week to replace the belagured negotiators there is a renewed energy and hope that something productive will come out of this conference in Durban.
Of course it is important to note that not all nations have a fresh set of negotiators. Indeed the Bahamas, one of the more vulnerable island nations, is represented by only three delegates over the two week negotiating period. This is hardly enough to cover all the concurrent meetings, let alone enough to adequately represent their interests. However, despite these challenges, the Bahamas remains a considerable voice--other island countries often cite their contributions as representative of their own.
As the meetings gain traction this week, I will be reporting on each day’s developments. Looking forward to sharing with you.