We, Radostina and Dimitra from Mladi Za Zemiata (Young FoE Bulgaria), were the Bulgarian delegates at Mock COP26 – a global, youth-run, virtual climate conference, aimed to fill the void of COP26 being postponed. The event brought together delegates from 140 countries who brought forward and voted on policy ideas that are now included in a legal Treaty. Together we reflected the mandate of young people to build inclusive, equitable and fair systems to address the pressing climate crisis.
The conference ran from 19 November to 1 December 2020, with 330 delegates, aged 11 to 30. It prioritised voices from countries that are most affected by the climate crisis. People from the Global South made up 72% of delegates and the Treaty continues to ensure these countries are supported. The average age of participants was 22 years old and 63% were female or non-binary.
As delegates, we presented high level statements on behalf of our countries, we participated in caucus discussion on the policies and voted on the amendments to arrive at the legal treaty, which can be accessed at: https://www.mockcop.org/treaty/. The five main themes discussed were: Climate Justice, Climate Education, Physical and Mental Health, Climate Resilient Livelihoods, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
A legal team, including lawyers from ClientEarth and COP26andbeyond, worked with us to formalise the statements into a treaty, which enables countries to adopt the Mock COP26 policy demands into law.
We want the governments around the world to adopt the Treaty and to help to strengthen the climate ambition before COP26, thus we are demanding from our government to adopt policies from the list.
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For more information or joining hands – mladi@zazemiata.org
