Hi All, Here are the collected responses to my query on bringing students to the UNFCCC. Many thanks to all those who replied!
best, dgwebster I have brought students before. I found that they benefited the most from when they had a real nexus to the event. For example, we worked with a group of small island states in advance to develop a specific report that we released at the meeting, and held a side-event, with the students among those presenting. They were, however, graduate students. Wil Shannon Kathryn Orr via <https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1311182?hl=en> falconbgsu.onmicrosoft.com Fri, Nov 9, 11:03 PM (10 days ago) to me Hi DG, I have been to quite a few COPs dating back to 2002. A few thoughts: - Observers have VERY limited access to the negotiations other than the plenary session. For observers, most participation will be attending side events, visiting exhibits (and events in the exhibit area) or perhaps observing the plenary. - Getting access to delegates who actually are involved in the negotiations is essentially impossible as they are too busy. In 2002 when the COP was small I spent a lot of time with the Malaysian delegation that was also at my hotel and was even invited as their guest into some of the writing sessions. That seems laughable now with the heightened layers of security and now two layers of access for delegates. - I have had very mixed success setting up interviews with other participants in advance – people are often hesitant to commit to meeting times and often cancel or don’t show up. - I brought graduate students to Paris, and it was okay. Honestly, I think they got pretty bored after the first two days. They had research projects to do, and I gave them guiding questions and such and we would meet to debrief. If I were to do it again, I would probably try to reach out to some other faculty who are going so that we could collaborate. I would be interested to hear how other faculty structured their experiences with students and what they did to keep them engaged. The students were glad they went, it was very eye-opening, but 2 days was enough in their minds. - I definitely recommend getting involved with one or more of the constituency groups (such as women, researchers etc…). This is a great way to get insight into the negotiations and to make connections with people who are actively engaged in the negotiations. - Be prepared for long waits at security and to get in! I don’t know if Katowice will have high attendance, but over the last few years it has not been uncommon to wait for an hour or more to get in every day. - Definitely make a calendar of everything you want to attend and the locations. But always, always doublecheck to confirm – there will be screens set up around the venue to announce cancellations and room changes. Let me know if you have any specific questions! Most importantly, have fun. It’s a great experience. I feel like I sort of highlighted a lot of negative things here, but it really is a great experience and an excellent chance to connect with passionate and inspiring people. Jennifer Allan <jennifer.i.al...@gmail.com> Nov 10, 2018, 8:34 AM (9 days ago) to me Hello DG, We met at ESG when I was chairing the Oceans panel. Poland will be my 6th COP - I'm with ENB. Happy to skype if you like. Some quick observations, tailored for oceans-related interests: - There is nothing on the formal negotiation agenda related to oceans, although there is increasing interest in the side event / non-state actors' world. The schedule is finally up at: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/katowice-climate-change-conference-december-2018/side-events-and-exhibits-at-cop-24. The side events area is great, not tinged by the divisions and acrimony in the negotiations. - Last year, I noticed that the UNEP had organized all of the oceans-related side events. I'm not sure if that is the case this year. There is an archive of side events here: https://seors.unfccc.int/seors/reports/archive.html . It might be interesting to see if organizers or speakers from last year are around to chat. - It should be easy to meet people and chat. Generally speaking, people tend to prefer to figure a time for a coffee on short notice, but it is worth contacting people in advance to flag your interest. The side events schedule and exhibition space should have contact information for the organizers, and names of speakers. - Small island states are of course interested in oceans issues. Ronald Jumeau might be a good person to start with. - Your yellow badge gets you into side events, plenaries, cotanct groups,exhibition areas, and (I think) media areas (where press conferences are held and can be interesting). - As a researcher, you could probably sit in on the RINGO (research and independent NGO) constituency. They have a website: https://ringosnet.wordpress.com/ that probably has the contact information for the constituency focal point. - Pack your patience. It's airport style security at the entrance, and likely will be shuttle buses to get to/from the venue. Wear comfy shoes! Feel free to contact me anytime throughout. This email is easiest, or on whatsapp I'm at +1 604-716-0256. Best, Jen *Marielle Papin *<marielle.papi...@ulaval.ca> Sun, Nov 11, 2018 at 3:01 AM To: "dgweb...@gmail.com" <dgweb...@gmail.com> Hi, I have recently heard about this webinar <https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5555915112847888897> for first-time COPers. I have not registered as I focus on cities and I think it is more negotiation-oriented, but it might be of interest to you! Best, On Fri, Nov 9, 2018 at 5:01 PM DG Webster <d.g.webs...@dartmouth.edu> wrote: > Hi Folks, > > Looks like I'll be heading to Katowice for my first climate COP next > month, mainly to study how oceans are represented but also to check out the > potential for a short-course on climate negotiations for Dartmouth > students. I have accreditation already but would appreciate any suggestions > from veterans on navigating the meeting, connecting with participants and > delegations, and generally dealing with the craziness that comes with such > a massive event. Thoughts on bringing students along/developing short > course materials around the meetings are also welcome. > > Also, if anyone wants to meet up while there, let me know! > > As usual, I'm happy to compile responses off-list and then post a full set > so as to avoid cluttering inboxes. > > best, > dgwebster > > -- > D.G. Webster > Associate Professor > Environmental Studies Program > Dartmouth College > 6182 Steele Hall > Hanover, NH 03755 > phone: 603-646-0213 > http://sites.dartmouth.edu/websterlab > -- D.G. Webster Associate Professor Environmental Studies Program Dartmouth College 6182 Steele Hall Hanover, NH 03755 phone: 603-646-0213 http://sites.dartmouth.edu/websterlab -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "gep-ed" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gep-ed+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
