GLAP VΙΙΙ: Climate Democracy: International Summit and Ambassador Training

Between the 21st and 26th of July 2019, the land beyond for the third consecutive time hosted in its premises the Centre for United Nations Constitutional Research (CUNCR) for an educational conference which welcomed participants from around the world.

21 young climate ambassadors as well as university professors and environmental experts travelled to Greece from around the world – Australia, the Bahamas, Fiji, Malaysia Hungary, North America, Canada, Uzbekistan, Russia, India, China, Mozambique, South Africa, Argentina, Paraguay, the Netherlands, France, Spain, the UK, Italy, Belgium and more - to hear, learn and in the end get inspired and come up with their own ideas in terms of tackling climate change in both a personal/national and common/ global level.

The conference began in Corfu (21-22.07) where the participants took out on the streets with posters and banners shouting, chanting and asking people to follow them. The march concluded in an open space where the participants made enthusiastic speeches about climate democracy and justice. The next day the participants travelled to Vitsa for the beginning of the conference (22-26.07).

Presentations started in the land beyond and moved on to Vitsa square where university professors, activists and environmental experts presented the issues of the climate crisis to the young ambassadors and the rest of the participants. Activities and working groups later helped in brainstorming ideas about possible solutions in the fight against climate change.

The schedule of the conference also included morning hikes to Profitis Ilias, the monastery of Agia Paraskevi and Misios’ Bridge as well as rafting in Voidomatis river and but also the longer hike of the Vikos Gorge (16km).

On the last day of the conference, the 64 participants gathered together and voted on the issues that the organisation agreed on proposing as the outcome of the summit in Vitsa. Read below the Epirus Declaration on Climate Democracy.

 

On the 24th of July 2019 we planetary citizens, representing all the continents, have gathered to demand representation in global decision-making on challenges, such as the climate crisis, which affect us all. To achieve this we demand: the creation of a United Nations parliament representing everyone; an executive to complement this legislature; and, to ensure justice, the creation of a world court with the competency to prosecute environmental crimes, holding states, corporations, other non-state actors and individuals accountable with universal jurisdiction.

In a world of effective global governance, resources currently dedicated to national security must be redirected to global security, and in particular living sustainably on our planet. It should be a human right to enjoy a healthy environment, and it is our duty to protect the rights of the environment for the future generations.

As the legitimate forum to achieve these democratic ideals, we urgently demand that the San Francisco Promise be upheld to convene the United Nations Charter review and renewal process.