APEC & UNFCCC Delegations Converge On Canberra

Sixteen young Australians converged on Canberra on Monday the 22^nd and Tuesday 23^rd August for a series of briefings from Ministers, Shadow Ministers, senior government officials, eminent academics and members of the diplomatic corps.

Global Voices’ Australian delegations to 2011 APEC Summit and the 2011 UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) spent two full days at Parliament House to gain a range of perspectives from experts on the respective forums. The delegates had travelled from Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Townsville for the briefings.

The UNFCCC delegation met privately with the Prime Minister in the Cabinet ante-room. Over the two days they also heard from the Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, Australia’s Ambassador for Climate Change Ms Louise Hand, the Deputy Director of ANU’s Climate Change Institute Associate Professor Jannette Lindesay and the Minister for Climate Change’s Chief of Staff and International Advisor. Consular representatives from the South African Embassy, as hosts of this year’s COP, also addressed the UNFCCC group.

The APEC delegation met with the intellectual architect of APEC, Professor Peter Drysdale, who was able to provide some context as to the formation of APEC and how it functions today. The delegates also visited the United States Embassy, as hosts of the 2011 Summit, and also received full briefings from the APEC Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AusTrade.

Both groups were also addressed by the Deputy Opposition Leader and the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Hon. Julie Bishop MP.

Being a sitting week for both houses of Parliament, the delegations also viewed Question Time, took in a behind-the-scenes tour of the Parliamentary building and concluded the briefings with a very special luncheon in Parliament House’s Members and Guests Dining Hall.

Having returned home on Tuesday, each of the delegates are now preparing an in-depth research paper as part of their Research Fellowship with Global Voices. These papers focus on a particular aspect of APEC or the UNFCCC, and will be released prior to the delegations departing for their respective forums in November.