UN Climate Change: Clarification Regarding Access Restrictions

The UNFCCC secretariat would like to provide clarification regarding the access restrictions and the roles of NGO Constituencies at COP26. It is important to underline that NGO Constituencies are not responsible for the access restrictions, nor in a position to facilitate participation of constituency members.

In view of the unprecedented conference environment with COVID-related measures, and the high number of registrations including Heads of State and Government attending the World Leaders Summit, Zone E (the area plenary halls are located) and Zone F (the area meeting rooms are located) are restricted zones for safety of all participants. In consultation with the UN Department of Safety and Security, the secretariat is facilitating a limited number of representatives of NGO constituencies to be able to access the physical negotiation meetings in Zone F. In the context of those considerations, 36 tickets for nine NGO Constituencies were distributed through Constituencies‘ representatives. While distribution of limited-access tickets through the Constituencies is an established practice in the UNFCCC process to ensure wide representation by different groups, the number of organizations that picked up badges was more than 1,600. It is important to underline that NGO Constituencies do not have the means to enable participation beyond these 36 tickets or to lift restrictions. We thank the NGO Constituencies for their support and understanding and appreciate the challenges they encountered and apologize for the inconveniences that this difficult environment has caused.