As a UNFCCC accredited civil society organization, Climate Generation is awarded observer badges and has sent delegations since 2009 consisting at various times of teachers, youth/students, activists, storytellers, artists, scientists, community organizers, policy makers and elected officials from Minnesota. We have announced our Minnesota based, multi-racial, intergenerational delegation for COP28. We are also excited to be hosting the first ever Entertainment + Culture Pavilion with the goal of nurturing and fostering community building for the creative sector at COP28 alongside climate policy experts, frontline activists, and government officials.

The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP: a conference hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC) is being held in Dubai this November 29, 2023 to December 13, 2023. COP is an annual gathering of 196 nations negotiating climate policy worldwide in an attempt to address the climate crisis. These gatherings began after the signing of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Climate in 1992, with the first COP held in Berlin in 1995. They have continued annually since then.

Each of the 196 nations, also known as “parties”, brings a delegation of official negotiators. In addition to negotiators,“civil society” can participate as observers from accredited organizations. Those with ‘observer delegate’ status, are able to stand in unity with those whose voices are too often silenced–chiefly front line communities that are experiencing loss of place and community, death, adverse health impacts, and loss of their chief economies for survival due to the climate crisis. In the past three to four years, the presence of front line communities (Indigenous people from the global south, students and activists on a global scale and youth) has increased, adding their voices to the negotiations through reporting, storytelling, art, and participation in the negotiations where allowed.

COPS AND CLIMATE GENERATION
Climate Generation has a history of sending delegations to COPs, including: COP15, COP21, COP22, COP23, COP24, COP25, COP26 and COP27. Climate Generation is a member of the U.S. ACE Coalition and Climate Action Network (CAN) International.