ParlAmericas participated at the UNFCCC COP27, GLOBE summit, and IPU Parliamentary Meeting
This year’s 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18, 2022, with the overarching theme of implementing climate solutions. Senator the Honourable Rosa Galvez (Canada), President of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PNCC) and Senator Raúl Bolaños-Cacho Cué (Mexico), Vice-President for North America of the PNCC both represented ParlAmericas, as well as their respective countries, at COP27, the GLOBE COP27 Legislators Summit, and the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) COP27 Parliamentary Meeting.
As part of the work to support parliamentarians at COP27, ParlAmericas shared relevant information on how to participate virtually and in-person at COP27, as well as organized alongside GLOBE legislators, Clima de Eleição, and POLEA an in-person meeting for Latin American parliamentarians at COP27. The meeting brought together diverse perspectives as parliamentarians from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay exchanged experiences and strategies, and discussed how they can support the implementation of the commitments made at COP27, and past COPs. In the meeting, Senator Rosa Galvez highlighted the manner in which “ParlAmericas is committed to articulating spaces that make it possible to create synergies and ensure that what is debated and agreed upon in spaces such as the COP are accessible to all parliamentarians. Taking into account these international agreements and the way in which they connect with each other can be a fundamental tool, not only for dialogue and regional cooperation, but also for taking action at the national level and promoting bills that integrate climate action through a gender-responsive approach.”
Moreover, on the margins of COP27, on November 8th, Senator Galvez and Senator Bolaños participated as panellists at the GLOBE summit. They presented Canada’s and Mexico’s strategies to not only help achieve national climate commitments, but also their links to advancing the biodiversity agenda, and overcoming the challenges of desertification. The session highlighted the importance of ensuring all three Rio Conventions are implemented in a holistic manner. The panellists also underlined the value of considering a gender perspective within these solutions, such as ensuring women have access to land tenure and are properly supported to be decision makers and financially secure enough to invest in land restoration. Senator Bolaños affirmed that “Mexico recognizes the importance of moving from conservation to the restoration of degraded land and that increased biological productivity consciously managed can lead to effective ecosystem conservation and to foster political and economic stability. It also acknowledges that securing land tenure and the direct involvement of its owners in natural resources management is essential for these programs to be successful. Decisions should de decentralized and the rights of Indigenous communities and their traditional practices, women and other vulnerable groups should be considered, making it necessary to guarantee their participation in decision-making.”
Similarly, Senator Galvez moderated a session titled, “climate action and sustainable development: How can parliaments address the interlinkages for a more resilient world” at the IPU COP27 Parliamentary meeting, which took place on November 13. The session focused on the relationship between climate change and the development challenges of food security, displacement, conflict, and energy.
For more information on how parliaments can support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and other similar multilateral environmental agreements, consult the full publication, “Parliaments and the Paris Agreement” or the executive summary.
