09 OCT 2009: Statement by the African Civil Society at the Bangkok Climate Change Talks
African civil society participating in the Ninth session of the AWG-KP and seventh session of the AWG-LCA being held at the United Nations Convention Centre, Bangkok, from 28 September to 10 October 2009 is dismayed at attempts by developed countries to undermine the future of the Kyoto Protocol.
We note and are seriously concerned by the fact that there seems to be an emerging consensus among industrialised nations particularly the US to move away from the Kyoto Protocol.
We emphasize the need for a robust and legally binding solution to climate change that is science-based, equity-based, principle-based and founded on the provisions of the Convention – one that provides an integrated and holistic approach to defining the global mitigation effort, the efforts of developed and developing countries, and the associated needs for adaptation, financing and technology transfer;
We therefore, demand that developed countries:
1. Agree to outcomes in Copenhagen that are fair, ecologically just and that ensure the full implementation of the Climate Convention and its Kyoto Protocol;
2. Agree to share the Earth’s atmospheric space fairly with developing countries through commitments under the Kyoto Protocol that reflect the full extent of their historical responsibilities as well as the needs of developing countries to a fair share of the Earth’s emission budget;
3. Undertake the deepest possible emission reductions through domestic efforts during the period ending by 2017 in order to provide physical space for the growth of developing countries;
4. Based on these commitments, provide financing and compensation to developing countries that is sufficient to address the excessive historical and current per-person emissions of the developed countries, while enabling developing countries to follow a less polluting developing path than the one followed by the developed countries.
5. Provide financing and compensation to developing countries for the adverse effects of climate change that is sufficient to address: 1) the costs of avoiding climate-related damages and harm; 2) the costs of actual damages and harm; and 3) lost opportunities for development;
6. Agree, as part of a shared vision, to quantified goals for: 1) the payment of adaptation compensation, 2) financing, expressed as a percentage of Annex I countries’ gross domestic product; and 3) technology transfer, expressed as value and mitigation potential of technology provided;
7. Ensure that the public money has to be additional to ODA-targets you promised us at the Millennium Development Summit.
8. Support proposals for enhanced institutional arrangements under the Conference of Parties in the areas called for by developing countries including:
a. Adaptation. A “comprehensive and structured approach” including a new Adaptation Fund for Africa;
b. Technology. A Subsidiary Body on Technology, a Multilateral Climate Technology Fund and a Technology Action Plan; and
c. Financing: An enhanced Financial Mechanism under the COP including an Executive Board, Trustee(s) and Funds or Funding Windows;
9. Agree to specific measures to remove barriers that limit the development and transfer of technologies from developed to developing countries arising from intellectual property rights (IPR) protection;
10. Refrain from using non-tariff trade barriers or any other form of trade measures to discriminate against developing countries, further transfer the costs of mitigating climate change to developing counties or otherwise impose new obligations on developing countries; and
11. Acknowledge the need for, and work towards, more fundamental changes in lifestyles and consumption patterns, as well as to current arrangements relating to international trade, finance, intellectual property, debt and other aspects of the international system, in order to address the root causes of climate change and ensure solutions to climate change that are fair, effective and development-oriented.
Signed on behalf of African civil society by Mithika Mwenda,
PACJA Coordinator
Contacts in Bangkok: 0806295171
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This is a good strong statement. I particularly like the principle in the following paragraph “We emphasize the need for a robust and legally binding solution to climate change that is science-based, equity-based, principle-based and founded on the provisions of the Convention – one that provides an integrated and holistic approach to defining the global mitigation effort, the efforts of developed and developing countries, and the associated needs for adaptation, financing and technology transfer”. We now must move to the next level. I have advocated that the developing (non-Annex I) countries must commit to targeted and binding emission reduction. As the center of low-carbon development, Africa should take leadership on this. Historical emission yes, but Africa’s must also be factored in, based on sound science, where past offsets in terms of avoided emission paid to finance adaptation. Other options may be considered e.g. a “bailout package” based on deep and immediate cuts with measurable co-benefits.