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'Along with the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has official observer status at COP26.'

Meeting for Sufferings: COP26

'Along with the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has official observer status at COP26.'

by Joseph Jones 15th October 2021

October 2, afternoon session

After a Covid-safe, individually-packaged vegan lunch, Meeting for Sufferings (MfS) representatives turned to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held next month in Glasgow. The Sustainability Monitoring Group will be offering a report at the next MfS in December, but this was the last opportunity to look at the climate crisis before the conference began.

Quakers are undertaking various actions in the run up to COP26, and Oliver Robertson and Olivia Hanks from Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) offered a report on Friends’ involvement in the conference. Britain Yearly Meeting staff have created a database for Quakers to share information about any acts of witness they are undertaking, and the report detailed several ‘inspiring’ actions recorded thus far. It also outlined QPSW’s focus, which is on the loss and damage caused by the climate crisis, and on financing climate justice. Along with the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has official observer status at COP26, which will enable the organisations to work together inside the delegate-only ‘blue zone’.

On Saturday 6 November, Quakers will also be part of a huge demonstration for climate justice, taking place in cities around Britain and globally.

QPSW’s Economics & Sustainability sub-committee had requested a statement be made ahead of the summit, going further than the multi-faith one to which BYM was a signatory. Olivia suggested that MfS could offer support in principle for a statement, which would concentrate on the interconnections between inequality, conflict and climate justice.

Representatives were supportive, with one hoping that the statement could include the voices of people experiencing loss and damage. Another wanted to ensure that the urgency of the situation was made clear. This was all noted.

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