COP16: Conclusions from Young Trackers · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

Young “trackers” from the Adopt a Negotiator Project blogged throughout the United Nations Climate Change Conference; these are some of their concluding statements and thoughts on what happened at COP16 in Cancún, Mexico. (Read the first Global Voices article on this tracking team here)
COP16 Negotiator Trackers from Canada, India, South Africa, Australia and Brazil working at COP16 / Picture: Andrea Arzaba
Anna Collins, the United Kingdom tracker, wrote on her latest blog post about the doubts that came to her during the last moments of COP16:
Coming away from Cop16 I seem to have more questions than answers.
Should we be happy with the progress made at Cop16?
Why do I not feel behind Bolivia, our seemingly champions in this process?
Did the chair violate the rules of consensus?
What are the rules of consensus?
If this did happen is it for better or the worse?
Because if one country is able to block an agreement does this effectively give the Saudis or the US the same powers?
If this is true is there any hope for this process?
What does this really all mean for the climate, for our beautiful world and a better future?
As we leave one Cop behind and hurtle towards another. As  governments, media and civil society alike around the world praise the  success of Cancun. As it already fades into a distant memory, I sit and I  ponder my questions.
Questions I cannot yet answer.
The final moments at COP16 were marked by a key country: Bolivia. Italian negotiations tracker, Andrea Cinquina, wrote about it [it]:
Il COP e COP/MOP ha visto una lunga battaglia andare avanti tra la  Bolivia e la presidenza, con la Bolivia reclamando per il fatto che la  presidenza ha dichiarato la decisione presa. Secondo il paese sud  americano non può esserci una decisione in quanto non c’è il consenso,  strumento fondamentale nelle Nazione Unite. La Espinosa taglia corto  dicendo che uno solo non può porre il proprio veto se c’è il consenso di  altri 193 paesi.
The COP and COP/MOP have seen a long struggle unfolding between Bolivia and the presidency, with Bolivia complaining because the presidency confirmed the previous decision. According to the South American country, such a decision requires instead a general consensus, a fundamental tool in the United Nations procedures. Espinosa cuts short saying that just one country cannot impose its own veto if the other 193 countries agree on that decision
Indian tracker Leela Raina, posted her latest article on India's final position at the climate negotiations:
With the conference closing today, India has constructively given face  to the solution at Cancun. It has bridged differences between the  various heterogeneous groups within the G77 and China negotiating group  by standing up for the more vulnerable countries. In its press  conference earlier this week in behalf of the BASIC group of countries  comprising of Brazil, India, China and South Africa it categorically  identified three nonnegotiables: The first one was for keeping the  second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol since it is currently  important to concentrate on the protocol, which is the only legally  binding treaty on climate change. Its future is uncertain since several  countries want to abandon it.
Alex Stark, tracking the United States delegation, posted on the unusual North American position at the last moments of the negotiations:
Maybe the negotiators are just overtired,  or the plenary hall was overcrowded, but at the informal plenary meeting  that just wrapped up, the entire room was given over to giddy  enthusiasm.  Aside from interventions from the usual crowd (Bolivia,  Cuba, etc.) that cautioned that there is still work to be done on the  draft text, every other country offered a rousing endorsement of the  text and commendations for the Mexican presidency’s efforts to lead a  transparent and open negotiating process.  Every single intervention was  followed by an intense round of applause.  Even Todd Stern, usually a  levelheaded speaker, declared “let’s get this deal done.”  Although  there are several meetings still to go this evening, we are now feeling  more than ever that country parties will be able to reach a consensus on  a balanced package outcome.
It’s hard to explain how exciting it felt to be in that room.  We may  not be making the deal here that saves the planet, but in the world of  UN climate negotiations, near-unanimous agreement between developing and  developed countries, applause and even spontaneous cheering are really  quite unprecedented.  For the first time since the Copenhagen conference  one year ago, I’m genuinely confident that this process can prove to  the world that it can be successful.
Press Conference for the UN Foundation at COP16 with Canadian and Mexican Trackers, in the middle Joshua Wiese, Adopt a Negotiator Project Manager /Picture: Andrea Arzaba
Finally, Andrea Arzaba, Mexican tracker and Global Voices Online blogger, finished her latest post from the UNFCCC event hoping that the words declared by Mexican negotiators will become a reality:
De verdad espero que lo prometido por  los representantes de México pueda cumplirse, y estaré siguiéndoles la  pista a estos negociadores y figuras clave que se han mostrado  excepcionales en su trabajo durante las últimas dos semanas. Porque ahora si, después de las pláticas llega el verdadero trabajo.