How can CSO contributions to the Paris Agreement be optimized? On-the-ground experience from Montreal Protocol CSOs
[PANELISTS]
Yang Li, Deputy Executive Director, Senior Program Director for Energy Transition, Senior Analyst, Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress (iGDP)
Sunandini Seth, Program Coordinator, India Program, Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD)
Enkhuun Byambadorj, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Breathe Mongolia – Clean Air Coalition
Moderated by: Bumcheul Park, Policy Analyst, Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC)
[EVENT DESCRIPTION]
● Civil society organizations (CSOs) have the potential to play an integral role in advancing the discussions and evaluating progress with respect to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the Paris Agreement. Often, a single CSO has responsibilities in multiple MEAs, and thus have accumulated both institutional and personal knowledge in seeing how the discussions, as well their roles in those discussions, have evolved over the years;
● However, opportunities to formally discuss these accumulated institutional and personal knowledge have so far been scarce. This is unfortunate, as when new MEAs are made and/or existing ones are amended, many CSOs that have participated in these discussions for many years hold with them valuable insights that may readily be transferable and shared with other organizations either just starting out, or engaging in similar activities in a different region of the world;
● This event is to provide a common platform for CSOs from the Montreal Protocol–considered to be the most successful MEA–to gather and to share their valuable insights on how CSO contributions to the Paris Agreement may be optimized, drawing from their experience seeing the Montreal Protocol evolve from its beginnings all the way to the Kigali Amendment, cementing its status as a de facto climate agreement with the potential to avoid up to 1 degree of warming by 2100.
[PANEL DISCUSSION TOPICS]
● How has the Montreal Protocol evolved over the years, based on your experience? What, if any, can the Paris Agreement learn from what you have witnessed on the ground at the Montreal Protocol?
● Can you describe your experience (as a CSO) working on mitigating HFCs or super pollutants in your countries? What challenges have you faced? At what point did you see a need to collaborate with government stakeholders, or other CSOs to advance your work?
● From your on-ground experience and interactions with policymakers in India, what do you think have been the main drivers behind the Montreal Protocol’s success? Are there any standout policies or implementation efforts that illustrate this success?
● What has been the main enduring barrier(s) to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol and to the further strengthening of the Montreal Protocol institutions?
● What do you think are the roles CSOs do (or should) play at Multilateral Environmental Agreements? How can CSOs amplify their voices?