REPORT OF THE CJN! STRATEGY MEETING
4 & 5 OCTOBER 2009, BANGKOK THAILAND
IN THIS REPORT
1. Highlights and key decisions
2. Vision statement
3. Consolidated demands for COP15
4. Next steps for CJN!
Annex 1: Agenda
Annex 2: Participant list
1. HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY DECISIONS
The “vision statement” statement “What is CJN!” was adopted (see point 2 below)
The meeting agreed to the following proposals:
– CJN! members to co-organise with Climate Justice Action (CJA) the 16 December “Reclaim Power: Push for Climate Justice”
– CJN! to form a common bloc with CJA and anyone else who cares to join at the 12 December global day of action in Copenhagen under the banner “System change not climate change”
– CJN! to organise a common day of events at the Klimaforum on 13 December
– CJN! to support the “Pre-session of the Peoples Tribunal on Ecological Debt”
Three working groups were established: facilitation, communication, mobilisation and action (see point 4 below)
2. VISION STATEMENT
What is CJN!
This statement is the result of small working group and plenary discussions. It was adopted at the afternoon plenary on 5 October and it was agreed that it should be preceded by the CJN! principles:
What is CJN?
– CJN is a loose network of like-minded organisations and movements coming together on the basis of the CJN principles
– CJN is based in the politics and structures of movements and community organisations
– CJN is a platform for community struggles and alternatives
What is CJN! doing?
– building a wider awareness of climate justice issues and perspectives
– building national, transborder and regional coalitions
– linking communities, issues and sectors
– supporting communities and their struggles
– reaching out to other movements and networks to be part of the growing climate justice movement
– campaigning to promote the demands in the CJN principles and alternatives
How is CJN doing this?
– developing a strong, radical, gender and rights-based concept of climate justice
– bringing the climate justice critique into the heart of the climate negotiations, the G8, the G20 and other sites of power
– sharing information and analysis in different languages
– ensuring that all regions and territories are part of CJN
– engaging in a permanent “outside” strategy beyond the UNFCCC
– bringing community and marginalized voices and views into the UNFCCC
– coordinating actions and strategies outside and inside the UNFCCC
– debating the positions of other networks whose positions are not based in a climate justice framework
– pushing governments at the national level to adopt climate justice policies
3. CONSOLIDATED CJN! DEMANDS FOR THE COP 15
This is a compilation of the demands from small working groups. The final text was not debated.
Change the current development paradigm – No to neo-liberal policies, no to trade liberalisation, demand for a just transition for a ‘renewably powered planet’.
Promote and support alternatives based on a peoples’ agenda: – food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, agrarian reform, small-scale sustainable agriculture
Recognition, respect and promotion of the rights of women and of indigenous, traditional populations and campesina/os over their territories and resources based on harmony with nature, respecting the rights of mother earth.
Respect the rights of those populations and other activists to resist and struggle against climate change.
Support an alternative funding mechanism under UNFCCC
Full reparations for ecological and climate debt – reparations must be made in the form of deep and drastic GHG emission cuts in the North domestically & transfer of financing and technology to the South. There should be strong penalties for countries that do not follow targets. Reparations also means that funds for mitigation and adaptation cannot be based on debt creating loans or grants.
IFIs out of climate – out of climate negotiations, climate funds, and projects that exacerbate climate change!
Keep fossil fuels in the ground – keep oil in the soil, tar in the sand, coal in the hole. This includes stopping all public subsidies for fossil fuel extraction, & other projects that aggravate climate crisis
Create an international entity to judge ecological crimes and recognize climate-displaced populations under international law for refugees
No to false solutions!
– nuclear energy
– carbon offsets
– techno-fixes like geo-engineering
– “clean” coal
– agro-fuels
– large scale hydro-electric dams
Demands related to REDD might need further discussion: some groups advocated supporting the position of the indigenous peoples caucus, whereas others felt that CJN! could take a clearer “no carbon market” position.
The various positions aired were:
No to REDD in any form (1, 2, – + or whatever)!
REDD is a false solution to climate change. It violates the rights of indigenous peoples, traditional populations and campesina/os over their territories.
Need to follow and respect International Indigenous Peoples Forum position (not for or against REDD – but bottom line of Indigenous Rights)
REDD – full land rights to IP and forest peoples before any talk of REDD
No carbon markets including REDD