As marches and rallies are organised outside the conference, an increasing number of disappointed young delegates, feeling disenfranchised from the political process, have left the drafting tables and taken to the streets – or in one case the escalators of the conference building.
Members of the parallel Youth Caucus occupied the escalators on the five levels of the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday, travelling repeatedly up and down in a metaphor for the Johannesburg process that they claim is going nowhere.
Citing lack of administrative support and access to the governmental negotiations, non-government youth delegates have turned to staging protests and engaging directly with the media in order to agitate for change.
Japanese participant Monoe Yoko from A Seed Japan has organised daily protests outside the convention centre for greater recognition of environmental and human rights at the Summit.
“We’re not experts in lobbying, and we’re not interested in speaking in ‘diplomatic’ tongues. Direct action is the easiest and fastest way to get our message across,” she said.
With so many voices at the summit, she said it is difficult to get her views across. “The media are interested in us now, and if this is what we have to do to get the politicians’ attention, then we’ll do it.”
© GLOBAL YOUTH REPORTERS PROGRAMME
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