By Sharon Tshipa
The United Nations Climate Chief has appealed to governments to complete the objective they set for themselves and conclude the conference with a strong and effective outcome.
This follows doubts that the UN climate change talks will successfully deliver on the 2018 conference objective of finalising the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement.
While resuming the second part of the high-level segment of the UN Climate Change conference late Tuesday, Patricia Espinosa, the UN Climate Chief said, “Political divisions remain”.
Many issues, she said, still must be overcome. But she believes the task to finish the job is within grasp. Her comments come at a time when COP corridors are abuzz with the assumption that there will be a COP24.5 needed to conclude current negotiations.
In the communication, Espinosa pleaded with governments to complete the Paris Agreement Work Program –consequently unleashing the power of the Paris Agreement itself.
With over 100 Ministers now participating in the conference to provide political guidance, and with only a few days to the event’s closure on December 14, Espinosa said she has seen incredible dedication to complete the work.
Moreover she said, the work is not finished, but is far from it. Many political divisions she said remain, and many issues still must be overcome.
Before COP24, African countries had convened in Kenya to identify their priorities and expectations, after which they solidified their position and articulated their expectations beforehand.
Continental priorities and expectations included the need for effective implementation of existing instruments and conventions, completion of work on the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP), financial support for African initiatives by developing countries such as the US, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, and Sweden to cite a few that have a significant historical responsibility to redress climate change and cushion its effects on developing countries.
After a week, the African spirit among others had been dampened.
Mithika Mwenda, the Executive of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) when speaking during the side event that meant to review week one of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) said, “We are very disappointed. Few agenda items have been concluded. The essentials ones such as climate finance have not been concluded. To us this is an alarm that if nothing is done it will be business as usual.”
Moreover he acknowledged the minimal progress the talks had made.
“COP24 is facing challenges on certain issues such as finance and the global stock take. However the Presidency has engaged Ministers to lead in areas where there are deadlocks,” said Thabang Botshoma, the Botswana Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Conservation and Tourism, during a brief interview at the conference.
“There will definitely be a decision by Friday,” he added confidently.
To achieve, the UNFCC release highlights that the Katowice package needs to deliver the Paris Agreement Work Program, make progress on finance, and provide a solid basis for the revision of the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Talanoa Dialogue, whose high level segment closed today.
Regarding finance, when closing the Talanoa Dialogue, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres said the financial obligation from developed countries to support efforts of developing countries was established in the Convention when it was adopted in 1992 –more than 25 years ago.
“It’s very difficult to explain to those suffering from the effects of climate change that we have not managed to find predictable support for the actions that must be taken,” media communication from the UNFCCC quoted him as saying.
However he said there is some good news in that the World Bank announced a new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, doubling its current 5-year investments to USD 200 billion, both in mitigation and adaptation, in support for countries to take ambitious climate action.
During COP24, Multilateral Development Banks also announced the alignment of their activities with the goals of the Paris Agreement and in line with the science-based evidence identified by the IPCC.
This Guterres said represents USD 35 billion in developing and emerging economies with an additional leverage on USD 52 billion from private and public sources.
Failing in Katowice Guterres said would send a disastrous message to those who stand ready to shift to a green economy.
“So, I urge you to find common ground that will allow us to show the world that we are listening, that we care,” he added, further calling on developed countries to scale up their contributions to jointly mobilize USD100 billion annually by 2020. Germany’s pledge to double its contribution in the current replenishment process, he said, is a very positive sign he hopes will inspire others to do the same.
Other efforts he said need to be taken care of include strengthening of the Green Climate Fund.
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