The Global Ecovillage Network will attend COP25

The Global Ecovillage Network will attend COP25! Our main objectives at COP25 are to lift the voice of community-led initiatives and showcase ecovillage solutions to climate adaptation and mitigation, and reach out to governments, business representatives, and partners in order to scale up the work and impact of the ecovillages movement in the world.

As scientists warn that global temperature is already 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels, and young people are taking to the streets demanding that politicians take urgent action on the climate emergency, governments of 197 nations gather in Spain for the UN Climate Change Conference COP25. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is also joining efforts with civil society at COP25 as a part of its ongoing work to catalyze communities for a regenerative future.

Kosha Joubert, Executive Director of GEN said: "Fridays for Future and the Extinction Rebellion have been raising awareness for the Climate Emergency and demanding real change. The Global Ecovillage Network is an expression of that real change, born from the hearts of people around the planet who long to be part of the solution, not the problem, and who are willing to get out of their comfort zones in order to step into their integrity."

This year, GEN is hosting a delegation with 11 community leaders from all of its 5 regions, including representatives from Brazil, Colombia, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

GEN's main objectives at COP25 are to lift the voice of community-led initiatives and showcase ecovillage solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as to reach out to governments, business representatives, and partners in order to scale up the work and impact of the ecovillages in the world.

"Today, GEN reaches out to over 6000 ecovillages and eco-projects in 114 countries, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. We are present at the COP Conferences in order to influence governments to start supporting community-led responses to the Climate Emergency," Ms. Joubert said. "And we agree, more political will is needed to instigate the changes demanded – it relies on us, the people of the world to stand up, raise our voices and start believing in our own capacity for transformative action."

Global Ecovillage Network's involvement with COP25

Since 2000 GEN has had consultative status at the UN-Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) commission and is represented at regular briefing sessions at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC gives GEN the chance to join in the work of various committees relevant to its concerns to promote sustainable communities and practices worldwide. GEN has been participating at COP since it's 15th edition in 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has sent delegations to every edition since COP21 in Paris, France.

As part of COP25's official schedule, GEN will host the exhibit "Communities and Culture: Critical for Transformative Climate Action", on December 4 and 5 at Booth 19. This space provides a 'home' at COP25 for communities, business, and government representatives to explore GEN's efforts to catalyze communities for a regenerative future, supporting poverty reduction and climate resilience in our world's materially and financially poorest places.

On Friday, December 6th, GEN will also host the side event "The Power of Culture, Nature and Community-led Development in Response to the Climate Emergency". Learn how ecovillages and heritage trust organizations can and are helping to scale up ambition, achieve the Paris Agreement, preserve natural and cultural heritage, protect the rights of nature, restore degraded ecosystems, sequester carbon, and lead to healthier thriving communities.

Speakers include Kosha Joubert (GEN Executive Director, Scotland); Jennifer Trujillo (GEN President, Colombia); Kenza Isnasni (GEN Advocacy Coordinator, Morocco), Andrew Potts (INTO & Climate Heritage Network), Sarah Sutton (Sustainable Museums), and Queen Quet (Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation), with moderation by Thalea Tane, (GEN Oceania & Asia Council Member, New Zealand).

Find out how the Global Ecovillage Network is having a strong impact on climate emergency resiliency and adaptation all around the world, and discover how community-led solutions are helping regions and countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement National Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Global Ecovillage Network at COP25

Communities and culture: critical for transformative climate action

Exhibit at Booth 19

December 4-5, 2019.

The Power of Culture, Nature and Community-led Development in response to the Climate Emergency

Side Event at Room 1

December 6th from 15:00 to 16:30.

About COP

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the annual meeting of the nations signed up to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its purpose is to advance global action to tackle climate change.

At COP21 in 2015, 195 countries signed up to the Paris Agreement, which committed them to keep global temperatures "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times and "endeavor to limit" them even more, to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In addition, industrialized countries agreed to pay US$100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries to decarbonize their economies.

The 2019 UN Climate Change Conference, COP25 will take place from 2 to 13 December, at IFEMA - Feria de Madrid, Avda. del Partenón, 5, 28042 Madrid, Spain. It will take place under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and will be held with logistical support from the Government of Spain.

Following agreement on the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement at COP 24 in Poland last year, a key objective of COP25 is to complete several matters with respect to the full operationalization of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.