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Success in Paris depends on Lima- say developing countries

Bonn, June 11 (Hilary Chiew) – The upcoming the presidency can count on China’s support to 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties make the Lima conference an open, transparent (COP 20) to the United Nations Framework and inclusive one with high ambitions and Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in standards. Lima, Peru is a crucial phase in the run-up to the South Africa said Lima is a decisive time for the following year’s COP in Paris and failure is not development of the new climate regime and if we an option. miss that we will not be going forward. Paris Expressing the importance they attach to COP cannot happen if Lima does not succeed. It 20, several developing countries warned that ‘if believed that the Warsaw COP (2013) had Lima failed, there will be no Paris.’ This was at already determined how the 2015 Agreement the open-ended informal consultation on should be conceptualised and put together. It convened on 8 June by the President-designate was agreed that Parties’ contribution on all for COP 20/CMP 10 Minister Manuel Pulgar- aspects of mitigation, adaptation, finance, Vidal of Peru on expectations from the Lima technology development and transfer and conference. capacity building will be nationally determined Brazil specifically cautioned against the conduct based on information that Parties will determine. of business at the on-going Ad Hoc Working In Lima, it said, there should be identification Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced and agreement on these contributions, adding Action (ADP), stressing that the process needs that this is the most important aspect of the careful steering for a secured direction but it has work this year. It, therefore, believed that no sense of that yet “although we counted on the decisions at Lima must consist of the minimum able steering of the co-chairs”. information that Parties must provide in putting forward the intended nationally determined Brazil said it does not envy the position of contributions (INDCs) and the process when Minister Pulgar-Vidal as the method of the communicating this INDC as well as an ex-ante (UNFCCC) process has not been ideal and the process to assist in determining the adequacy of presidency would have the power to steer this the contribution as this is our peer-reviewed process carefully, which will be the difference insurance policy on Parties’ proposal. It warned between success and failure, adding that there is that if we go into a world where it is free-for-all, not option of failure. If Lima failed there will be we will not succeed in Paris and Lima must no Paris, it stressed. capture the elements for further refinement. If China also echoed similar views. It said that it we succeed in having an ADP decision under could not emphasise enough the importance of workstream 1 (post-2020 actions), it must the Lima conference. If there is no success in contain both decision on the elements as well as Lima, we are not going to have Paris. It the information. It stressed that the INDC is the welcomed the in-coming COP presidency’s heart of the new regime and is part and parcel of promise of an open, transparent and inclusive the decision for a 2015 Agreement. COP and hopes that that will guide the process Nauru speaking for the Alliance of Small throughout, but noted that it is not an easy task Island States (AOSIS) said Lima is essentially to steer the conference in that manner. It said the last opportunity to lay the foundation for the TWN Bonn Update No. 13 11 June 2014

2015 agreement and it must be guided by science and vision for COP 20. It said the Lima draft is and the recent Intergovernmental Panel on set to be the most fundamental outcome with Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II necessary results including a decision on (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerabilities) report. information on the INDCs that will be discussed It underscored that small island developing states here (at the current intersessional of the (SIDS) are especially vulnerable to climate UNFCCC). It is confident that we will deliver change and the situation is grave even with less this key milestone to the legally-binding than 1°C of temperature rise; more intense agreement that we set to achieve. It said finance storms were experienced, drought accelerated, is also a fundamental outcome and Lima will rising sea level and other life-threatening mark the year where the GCF’s initial impacts. It said serious mitigation can occur capitalisation will happen. within reasonable costs if we act immediately. Panama said regardless of the complexity, It said the Lima outcome is important for the Parties must not forget the ultimate goal of the negotiation process going forward and it should Convention. It said adaptation, loss and damage include resource mobilisation of the Green and the implementation of reducing emission Climate Fund (GCF) and further acceleration of from deforestation (REDD-plus) cannot be part its operation. It would like to see progress on of an ideal scenario for some Parties. It urged for transparency and scaling up of the US$100 momentum to achieve a Lima draft (for the 2015 billion by 2020 pledge, and the fund-raising Agreement) as an outcome of COP 20. strategies of the Adaptation Fund supported. Chile echoed South Africa in terms of the Finance, it added, is an integral building block mandate ahead and the set of decisions and that would build on the lessons from the pre- elements that will be the measure of success for 2020 period. It added that AOSIS is willing to Lima. It completely agreed about upfront leave Lima with clear elements and options for information for INDC which it thinks is a key the finance chapter of the 2015 Agreement. cornerstone of the new legally-binding On loss and damage, AOSIS expects the agreement that we try to come to achieve in outcome to deliver a dedicated seat for SIDS in Paris. It said the peer-pressured and peer- the Executive Committee similar to the reviewed ex-ante process will guarantee success composition of the Adaptation Committee, and and should be covered in the Lima decision and its two-year work plan adopted in Lima. The it envisaged one decision that covers the two new protocol under the Convention must aspects of elements and upfront information. strengthen the multilateral rules-based regime Saint Lucia speaking for the Caribbean based on science and principles of the Community (CARICOM) reiterated its call for Convention and is legally-binding for all Parties a meaningful process which consider the special with participation and contribution by all in circumstance of SIDS. It is eager to see progress accordance with common but differentiated of the Warsaw international mechanism on loss responsibilities and respective capabilities. and damage, decision on elements and Increasing mitigation under workstream 2 (of the information for the INDC, and the pre-2020 ADP) must continue and Lima needs to connect actions under workstream 2 of the ADP. the technical work to urgently increase the pre- 2020 ambition. Dominican Republic said it understood that there will not be any decision from you (the Peru On the 2013-2015 Review to assess the adequacy presidency) that did not come from us. It looked of the long term global goal, AOSIS would like to Lima to describe the long term signal on work to see the reference to temperature increase of that will carry us forward. It said Lima cannot be 1.5°C and 2°C and linkage to the ADP process, a business-as-usual COP that keeps pushing making concrete progress to ensure an ambitious decisions to the next COP and soon we will be and fair outcome at Lima. running out of places (to push decisions). It Colombia representing the Independent wanted a firm outcomes out of Lima. Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean The European Union said COP 20 will be (AILAC) is hopeful that Lima will be a great critical to strengthen the implementation (of success and is positive that Parties will work decisions) of the past few years. It would like to together towards the Lima draft for the 2015 stress the provision of the proposed mitigation Agreement. It is encouraged by the preparation

2 TWN Bonn Update No. 13 11 June 2014 commitment by the first quarter of 2015 and for A civil society organization representative, Asad all major economies to do so as well. It said Lima Rehman of Friends of the Earth International, must prepare the draft negotiation text that is a member of Climate Justice Now! stressed that applicable to all Parties, describing the means of transparency, legitimacy and credibility of the implementation and the MRV (measurement, outcome are key – we do not wish to see a repeat reporting and verification) of the compliance of Copenhagen or Cancun where these were regime that strengthens the multilateral rules- lacking. based regime that would foster climate resilience He recalled that many civil society groups walked and send a strong signal that we are committed out of the Warsaw COP in frustration because of to achieving the below 2°C objective. It also the backward progress on reduction of emissions wants the upfront information for the INDC to by developed countries, backward progress on ensure quantifiability of the commitments. climate finance, and a loss and damage Enhancing pre-2020 mitigation ambition is vital mechanism that was an empty shell. He also said to address the gap by making full use of the civil society groups have this week expressed our process to also consider other actors like cities to collective views in the ‘Volveremos’ Declaration scale up action, said the EU. It also said Lima that was delivered to the presidency. should capture the results of 2014 and catalyse He stressed that for us Lima is an important real work and actions to raise ambition and moment to redress that lack of progress mobilise finance, development and diffusion of including progress on pre2020 ambition in line technologies. with climate science and fair shares, end the On finance, it said (the Lima outcome) should broken promises of developed countries on include actions by all Parties and climate finance – the capitalisation of the GCF transformational investment, noting that not all must be a key benchmark, concrete steps on Parties will take the same actions. It is confident energy transformation – in particular support for that Lima can welcome initial pledges for the community power and energy access for the GCF which is an important step to make GCF billions without, and concrete steps to address the major player in climate finance post-2020. needs of impacted communities and people in In acknowledging the challenges, Minister the loss and damage mechanism. Pulgar-Vidal said the Lima conference is The role of the Presidency is CRITICAL in obviously a big challenge not just to the country setting a standard and influencing the discussion but also a personal and professional one. over civil society participation and urge you not However, he felt he has the support after hearing lock out civil society groups in Lima, said the views of the Parties and will put all efforts Rehman. and capacity to deal with every problem and Proposals tabled by the Secretariat to charge civil bring solution to bring the Parties closer. society groups $1000 to hold a side event – 5 He assured Parties that (the COP) is a Party- times the minimum monthly wage in Peru – driven process and the only way is to work effectively privatises the UN and silences the together although there are some differences as voices those most impacted by climate change. It there is no other way. makes this only a space for only the rich and He noted that many regarded the Lima COP as corporate interests – this must be rejected, he the last opportunity (to secure the new said further. agreement in Paris) and he felt the same. He said He also expressed civil society groups’ call for an the Lima conference is the process to fulfil end to any suggestion that there will also be mandates; mandate on information for INDC by additional restrictions on the numbers of civil the first quarter of 2015, mandate related to society participants at the COP venue, adding National Adaptation Plans etc. Our first that we look for you to guarantee our rights of obligation is to fulfil the decisions we had taken expression and assembly and improve our ability or else we will lose the confidence of the people. to engage in the progress including intervention He said he will work hard to reach a draft rights and not restrict them. agreement in Lima that is ready to be signed in The “Social COP” in Venezuela provides us a Paris. rare and unique opportunity to engage as equal partners in this process. We urge the Presidency

3 TWN Bonn Update No. 13 11 June 2014 to ensure that the outcomes of this important Lima COP as well as that outcomes of the gathering are formally incorporated into the Peoples Summit in Lima, Rehman said.

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