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| Two track outcome amidst confusion |
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| Written by Hira Jhamtani | |||
| Monday, 04 January 2010 17:57 | |||
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Copenhagen, 16 Dec (Hira Jhamtani) - In an unexpected move, the Danish Presidency of the Copenhagen Climate Conference made an announcement that it intends to table a draft Copenhagen outcome consisting of two texts based on the prior work by Parties. This signals a two-track outcome respectively under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and under the Kyoto Protocol. The two track outcome has been pressed by developing countries: one track is the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) to determine the next commitment period for greenhouse emission reduction targets by developed countries. The second track is to enhance implementation of the UNFCCC under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA). Most developed countries want a single outcome that they call a "global, universal, comprehensive" international agreement on climate change, effectively terminating the Kyoto Protocol and even attempting to rewrite the Convention. The announcement was made by the COP President Connie Hedegaard towards the end of the plenary session of the fifth Conference of the Parties serving as Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 5) that opened on Wednesday morning (16 December). However, this announcement was made in the midst of disappointments that Annex I Parties to the Convention (developed countries and countries with economies in transition) have not defined their emission reductions targets for the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. This issue has been instrumental in stalling the Copenhagen conference, with developing countries saying right from day one that there will be no Copenhagen outcome without a defined figure for the second commitment period. The first commitment period runs from 2008 to 2012. During the plenary the chair of the AWG-KP, John Ashe, reported that while significant progress has been made on other issues discussed at the AWG-KP, the issue of numbers (emission cuts) has presented challenges. The AWG-KP had agreed to forward its report (which contains draft decisions that have many blank spaces, and brackets indicating many issues do not enjoy consensus) to the CMP 5 with a recommendation that the CMP consider giving it more time as the draft text would benefit from continuing work this week. In their statements, many developing country groupings and individual developing countries expressed their disappointment at the lack of the progress in defining the emission cuts numbers and also recommended that the AWG-KP be allowed to work an extra day to further work through the technical issues, in order to prepare a text to be forwarded to the ministerial segment of the conference. South Africa speaking for G77 and China said it noted that the text presented to the CMP 5 is not yet in the form to be considered by the High Level Segment (HLS). The informal sessions with ministers that the COP President had conducted produced recommendations that the key political issues - the goals, targets and ambition level for greenhouse gases emission reduction - need to be subjected to further consultations. In this context the Group recommends that the political issues already identified be considered by the HLS and that the technical aspects be referred back to the AWG-KP for further technical work. It said should the HLS make decisions on targets, goals and level of ambition, the texts on those issues at the moment are not ready, but would be ready after a one day's further work. India said that any outcome from Copenhagen must both contain solutions, and therefore the balance between the AWG-KP and AWG-LCA tracks is important. The conference must prioritize the work on AWG-KP as it has done for AWG-LCA. China said it regrets that a lot of issues are still to be settled by the AWG-KP. It hopes that on the basis of the progress, the AWG-KP can carry on negotiations and consultations, to undertake considerations of technical issues. This is to produce a more mature and perfect text. The proposals from the two working groups should be the basis of the documents of Copenhagen and this (the Kyoto Protocol) is the most important legal document. We hope the Kyoto Protocol shall be maintained and China is opposed to attempts to water down or scrap the Protocol. Tuvalu speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) said it is disappointed with the results of the AWG-KP. It does not see any legal or technical reason not to come to an agreement. We have a legal text in front of us. We have not been consulted on how to consider this legal text. I am feeling as if I am in the Titanic, and it is sinking, but a member of the crew decides that we are not sinking. It is time to have a life boat. Let us consider the legal text and move forward. Algeria speaking for the African group asked the COP President to ensure the same level of importance and consideration for both tracks and it insists on the two processes and outcomes as part of the Copenhagen outcome. The Philippines, Zambia, Senegal and Oman said they supported the recommendation to do technical work on the text for one more day in order to improve the text and emphasize the need to have two separate agreements, in which the Kyoto Protocol track is considered as the core of the work and must be accorded equal importance. Sweden speaking for the European Union said the text has been developed with many options and brackets. In many instances we have exhausted the technical work and it is time for political choice. There is ample room for political bargaining. The text might need work at the technical level, but it wonders if it needs one day. The technical discussion could be in an informal setting and does not have to reconvene the AWG-KP in its previous format. The EU said the text is ripe for political choices and it is time for ministers to come into the debate to clean up the text finally. The COP President said that she has noted the comments and intended to consult Parties on how to proceed. She suspended the discussion to enable the session on national statements (by ministers or heads of states) to start. Before closing the session, Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC announced that the Secretariat had received a letter of resignation from the office of the COP President, and a second letter from the Foreign Ministry of Denmark that Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen will replace Connie Hedegaard who is now special representative to continue the informal consultations with Parties on the Copenhagen outcome. This announcement was expected in view of the presence of many heads of states and heads of governments in this conference. The presence of the dignitaries has created security issues causing many delegates to complain. The delegates of Brazil and India raised their complaints at the CMP plenary session. The Brazilian representative who is the head of the delegation was delayed outside the conference room as the security would not allow him to come in. The executive secretary had to leave the room immediately to deal with the issue. India complained about the massive confusion and struggle just to get into the meeting room. He said, " I am still feeling the pain of getting in". During the first days of the conference last week, the Chinese Minister of Environment had been denied entrance three times and his badges were confiscated by the security personnel. The COP President said that tight security is needed to take care of everyone while the secretariat explained the process of the special badges to enter the meeting rooms. But security is not the only issue of complaint. Delegates have complained about the undemocratic process being undertaken by the Danish Presidency and the secretariat. Many delegates do not know what the Presidency intends to do to move forward, how the text would look like and feel they have not been consulted on these important issues. With two days left for the conference, it is unclear what would be the Copenhagen outcome. TWN Update No. 20 Copenhagen News Update 16 December 2009 Published by the Third World Network www.twnside.org.sg Like it? Share it!
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