Report from UNFCCC - PowerPoint Presentation

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Report from UNFCCC COP20, Lima

PURPOSETo provide a report on the outcomes of UNFCCC COP 20/ CMP 10, that took place in Lima, Peru, in December 2014

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COMPETING ARCHITECHTURE PARADIGMS IN GLOBAL NEGOTIATIONS

A bottom-up style driven by a pledge and review

system

Unilateral

and self-determined pledged domestic targets, policies and measures

Domestically legal

commitments

Domestically determined rules and criteriaAmbition is informed by national priorities and circumstances“Internationalised” through reporting and review procedures

A top-down Kyoto-style agreement driven by the requirements of science

Multilateral commitments, with inclusive and equitable participation Internationally legally binding on all PartiesCommon multilaterally agreed rules and criteriaLevel of ambition is informed by science (but also accounting for national circumstance and priorities)

CONFIDENTIAL

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COP 17, Durban Outcomes, 2011

Provided an historic opportunity for reconciling the 2 competing paradigms, with participation of all countries

Durban Platform agreement to:

conclude the negotiation of a future global legal agreement by 2015, applicable to all, coming into effect by 2020, covering mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and transparency requirements

Increase level of ambition pre 2020Agreement on 2nd Commitment Period of Kyoto ProtocolDurban COP 17/ CMP 7 - 2011Slide4

Progress Towards Paris 2015

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KEY ISSUES IN Lima COP 20- CMP 10

Elements and legal form of the new multilateral legal agreement, to be concluded by 2015 in Paris, COP 21;

Process and minimum information requirements for Parties’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs);

Giving effect to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and equity; and

Dealing with urgency, and operationalising the international mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund;

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UNFCCC NEGOTIATIONSSlide6

SA POSITION – 2015 new legal agreement

Reinforce

multilateral rules

based system of the UN;Implement and contribute to the fulfillment of the

objective of the Convention as set out in Article 2; Be inclusive (applicable to all Parties); fair (give effect to the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities); effective (be based on sound science); Be

adequate (to keep temperature increase below 2°C);Enable and enhance the transition to a low emissions and climate resilient sustainable development pathway;

Give equal priority to adaptation and mitigation with balanced provision of means of implementation.

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SA expectations of the 2015 agreement:Slide7

SA POSITION FOR LIMA

[1] South Africa’s position with regard to the INDC process

was

that:

Parties’ INDCs must cover the full scope of issues of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, i.e. mitigation, adaptation and the provision of finance, technology and capacity-building support.A formal process must be agreed on for the communication of INDCs to all Parties.In keeping with a transparent and fair multilateral process under the UNFCCC, this information must be multilaterally agreed and applied, rather than being determined domestically. This information must facilitate clarity, transparency and understanding of a Party’s intended national contribution.

Elements

and legal form of the new agreement:Lima needed to finalise the elements of the new agreement.

The agreement must reflect all elements, i.e., Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance, Technology development and transfer, capacity building and transparency issues. 7Slide8

SA POSITION FOR LIMA

[2]

Common but differentiated responsibility and equity

South Africa’s view is that

equity and appropriate differentiation can be more meaningfully advanced by following the structure of the Convention for the formulation of individual commitments.Article 4(1) of the Convention provides the framework for commitments for all Parties.Article 4(2) onwards creates the framework for additional commitments for developed country Parties.

Dealing with urgency and making the system operational now:

Progress towards mobilizing 100 billion USDAdaptation FinanceTechnology transfer to support implementation

Institutional arrangements for Loss and damage8Slide9

KEY OUTCOMES

[1]

After

running into overtime

the conference concluded successfully with the Lima call for climate action.The Outcomes reflect three of the 5 Key political issues:an agreement to maintain differentiation and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities; an agreement to do a synthesis report on the aggregate effect of the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs) - offers expected from each party in 2015 for the new post 2020 climate regime); and

that the scope of the INDCs will include both mitigation and adaptation.

Paris COP 21 will have to concluded the following two political issues:Cycle of contributions / length of the commitment period; and

The legal form of the post 2020 agreement.9Slide10

KEY OUTCOMES

[2]

The

Conference addressed the current inadequate level of ambition

by outlined steps that will be undertaken through the technical expert meetings that are tasked with identifying scalable actions in the post-2012 and pre-2020 period. these actions must include adaptation, health and sustainable development co-benefits. urged all parties to finalise the ratification processes of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that was agreed to in Durban.

Dealing with urgency, and operationalising the mechanisms:

Mobilised over USD 10 billion for the Green Climate FundAgreed to continue discussion on identifying the sources and scale of long-term climate finance.Launched a two year work plan aimed at promoting gender balance within the UNFCCC

Adopted a declaration on Education and awareness-raising.10Slide11

POLITICAL

DYNAMICS[1]

Negotiations

under UNFCCC towards the adoption of a new legal instrument in December 2015, should be seen in a wider global political debate over differentiation of responsibilities in international

relations.Middle income and key emerging countries are expected to assume greater responsibility.Developed countries refuse the retention of existing binary division in UNFCCC between developed and developing countries.Attempts to re-classify countries pose a challenge to traditional regional groupings, North-South configuration and political alliances.Negotiating context highly complex characterised by the fragmentation of the United Nations membership into a multitude of groupings and alliances with overlapping memberships.SA is the Chair of the G77 and China in 2015.

2015 is also a crucial year for Africa - co-Chair of the

ADP discussions (Algeria). Unity of the G77 & China as well as Africa group that South Africa engage as part of will be crucial.

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POLITICAL

DYNAMICS[1]

BASIC (Brazil, India, South Africa and China) functions as an informal political discussion group and not as a negotiating group.

China is exerting strong pressure on the other BASIC countries to increase coordination and develop common positions.

This is particularly problematic for South Africa and Brazil, which unlike India and China, are not members of the group of Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) that are most reluctant to take on new commitments in the UNFCCC context. China also tends to use BASIC as a platform to demonstrate ‘transparency’ vis-a-vis fellow emerging economies by reporting on its bilateral undertakings with major economies - and in particular the USA - at a time when there are concerns amongst many countries that the 2015 agreement may be pre-determined by the political arrangement that was announced between China and the USA in 2014

CONFIDENTIAL

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POLITICAL

DYNAMICS[1]

It is worth noting that

the Lima achievement was made through the resolve of the Africa group that refused to accept an outcome that did not address the continent’s needs

.The conference had to go into extra time to resolve issues that the Africa group insisted they need to be resolved. South Africa rallied other BASIC countries (Brazil, India and China) to support the Africa position. This marked a successful achievement by South Africa to use the BASIC countries to support the Africa common position and thus further strengthening South-South cooperation.With South Africa chairing the Group of 77 and China

in 2015, it will therefore rely on and negotiate through the Africa group to advance its national and regional interests

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PREPARATORY PROCESS FOR COP 21 / CMP 11 - PARIS

ADP Inter-Session Meeting : 08 -13 February 2015

BASIC

Meeting: 15 – 18 April 2015, Brazil

Informal Ministerial Consultations: May 2015Petersberg Dialogue: 18- 19 May 2015 - Berlin42nd Session UNFCCC SB: 01 – 11 June 2015 – Bonn

ADP Inter-Session Meeting: 31 August – 04 September 2015Pre- COP 21

Meeting: 18-20 October 2015ADP Inter-Session Meeting: 19 – 23 October 2015

Paris COP 21: 30 Nov – 11 December 201514