Members from Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF, Actionaid, Friends of the Earth, the International Trade Union Confederation and 350.org all started leaving the conference at 2pm today. This is an unprecedented action, the first time major civil society groups have staged a mass walkout.
Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, ITUC, released a statement saying that at a time when climate science was warning of devastating impacts, democratic leaders have failed us in these negotiations. The ITUC observers walked in protest with the other NGOs.
We have been shocked by some of the wealthiest nations including Canada and Australia showing a lack of responsibility for ambitious targets and with almost all developed nations failing to commit vital finance and even questioning the need for just transition measures for the world's workers and their families.
Trade unions remain optimistic on the capacity of social dialogue to ensure that Japan returns to the negotiations next year in Lima, Peru, with renewed ambition and leadership.
The corporate dominance which is on show here is unacceptable. It is the same companies that advocate environmental and social responsibility that exploit workers and the environment through their supply chains.
The ITUC will now mobilise workers around the world to ensure that democratic governments are held accountable for jobs, rights and the vital investment in transformational technologies in all sectors to ensure full employment and decent work, said Sharan Burrow.
The following statement was issued jointly by the NGOs that chose to leave. Some 800 people left the conference.