Bonn, 31 March
2010 - The UN Climate Change Secretariat
Wednesday published official reports on
the results of last year's UN Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen (7-19 December
2009).
The reports detail the
outcomes of the UNFCCC Conference of the
Parties at its 15th session (COP 15) and
of the Conference of the Parties serving
as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol on its fifth session (CMP5).
Each report is in two
parts: one on formal proceedings and one
on the decisions adopted by the relevant
body. The reports can be found here: http://unfccc.int/5257.php
Since the closing of
the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen,
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has received
submissions of national pledges to cut or
limit emissions of greenhouse gases by 2020
from 75 Parties, which together account
for more than 80% percent of global emissions
from energy use.
41 industrialised countries
have formally communicated their economy-wide
targets to the UNFCCC. 35 developing countries
have communicated information on the nationally
appropriate mitigation actions they are
planning to take, provided they receive
the appropriate support in terms of finance
and technology. These communications can
be found here: http://unfccc.int/5265.php
"It is clear that
while the pledges on the table are an important
step towards the objective of limiting growth
of emissions, they will not in themselves
suffice to limit warming to below 2 degrees
Celsius," said UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Yvo de Boer. "The Climate Conference
at the end of this year in Mexico therefore
needs to put in place effective cooperative
mechanisms capable of bringing about significant
acceleration
of national, regional
and international action both to limit the
growth of emissions and to prepare for the
inevitable impacts of climate change,"
he added.
The report of the Conference
of the Parties contains, inter alia, the
text of the Copenhagen Accord and lists
the 112 Parties (111 countries and the European
Union) that have indicated their support
for the Accord. See: http://unfccc.int/5257.php
"The Copenhagen
Accord is not least significant because
it includes a clear pledge by industrialised
nations to provide short-term and long-term
finance for developing countries for adaptation
and mitigation,"said Yvo de Boer, "At
the same time, it is clear that the Accord
can be used to help advance the formal negotiations
towards a successful outcome in Mexico,"
he added.
Decisions that were
adopted in Copenhagen include decisions
on the improvement to the Kyoto Protocol's
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which
are designed to speed up processes for stakeholders,
to assist countries with fewer than 10 registered
CDM projects to launch more projects, and
to enhance CDM governance, including through
procedures for stakeholders to appeal decisions.
See: http://unfccc.int/5257.php
The Copenhagen Conference
decided to continue negotiations on a range
of draft decisions, which can be found at:
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/awg10/eng/17.pdf
http://unfccc.int/meetings/ad_hoc_working_groups/lca/items/5243.php
http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/awg10/eng/17.pdf
It is important to keep in mind that many
of these decisions, which would enable immediate
action on climate change, came close to
completion in Copenhagen," said the
UN's top climate change official Yvo de
Boer. "This work can be completed in
Mexico, with the adoption of a strong and
balanced package of decisions," he
added.
The next round of UNFCCC
negotiations is scheduled to be held in
Bonn, Germany, on 9-11 April. This meeting
will be followed by a two-week negotiating
round which will comprise the 32nd session
of the UNFCCC Convention subsidiary bodies,
between 31 May and 11 June 2010. Both gatherings
will take place in the Maritim Hotel in
Bonn.
The April UNFCCC sessions
are designed to agree on the organization
and methods of work in 2010. This includes
the number and duration of any additional
UNFCCC negotiating sessions in the second
half of 2010, in the run-up to the UN Climate
Change Conference in Mexico (29 November
to 10 December).
Accreditation for the
April meeting is open (see http://unfccc.int/press/items/2794.php).
The UN Climate Change Secretariat will give
a closing press conference on 11 April at
the Maritim Hotel at 13:15 (upon conclusion
of the morning plenary sessions) which will
be followed by press briefings of interested
Parties. All press briefings will be broadcast
live.
Note to editors:
UNFCCC
With 194 Parties, the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change(UNFCCC) has near universal membership
and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified
by 190 of the UNFCCC Parties. Under the
Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly
industrialized countries and countries undergoing
the process of transition to a market economy,
have legally binding emission limitation
and reduction commitments. The ultimate
objective of both treaties is to stabilize
greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere
at a level that will prevent dangerous human
interference with the climate system.
For more information, please contact: UNFCCC
media office: http://unfccc.int/press/items/2794.php
+ More
Groundbreaking Environmental
Assessment Kicks Off in Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya - The
world's most comprehensive and inclusive
environmental assessment process started
in Nairobi this week, as over two hundred
government representatives institutions
and experts discussed and adopted the objectives,
scope and process for the next Global Environment
Outlook-5 (GEO-5 Report), to be released
in 2012.
Since the initial 1992
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, global concern
for environmental and developmental issues
has increased, leading to an extensive range
of internationally agreed environmental
and development goals. However, progress
towards meeting these goals has in many
cases, been slow. There has also been a
marked deterioration and degradation of
the planet's natural resources and increasing
demands from a burgeoning global population.
GEO-5 will provide an
assessment of the state, trends and outlook
of the global environment to understand
where we are in relation to meeting these
goals. It will also analyze policy options
to identify those that could help speed
up the achievement of these goals.
GEO-5 will build on
national, regional and global assessments
and reports, as well as peer reviewed scientific
literature.
Co-chair of the meeting,
Mr. Martijn Dadema said "We're excited
to have agreed on the nature and ambition
of this important report. It's findings
should be the litmus test for future action
and achievements to stop the degradation
and wasteful use of our planet's natural
resources. GEO 5 will be a blueprint determining
humanity's future. We hope that the report
will have a major input into the Rio+20
decision-making process in 2012".
"A large part of
GEO-5's remit will be to assist with capacity
building to conduct environmental assessments
and policy analysis" said Peter Gilruth,
Director of the UNEP Division of Early Warning
and Assessment.
Next steps include nominations
of experts by governments and other stakeholder
groups including collaborating centers.
The final Statement which outlines the adopted
objectives, scope and process for GEO-5
will be made available on UNEP's website
(www.unep.org/geo) shortly.
