PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Durban makes headway on 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
Durban, South Africa (PANA) - Ministers gathered here for the final day of the UN Climate Change Conference were Friday locked in discussions to reach a common ground on how they will work together should they adopt the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the president of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17), disclosed.
Nkoana-Mashabane, who is also South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, said progress had been made but two issues still remained.
She said the ministers were focussed on the future process for long-term finance, with specified reference to the Green Climate Fund.
“The now is: are we able to work together and to work on the future process for a future framework, that is where the discussions are at the moment,” the COP 17 president said at a press briefing Friday.
“Because all Parties want the Green Climate Fund to be launched here in Durban, what they need to look at now is the long-term finance, so we do not end up launching an empty shell,” she added as she updated journalists on the negotiations.
According to Nkoana-Mashabane, various groups, such as the European Union, G77+China, the Least Developed Countries, Oasis (a coalition of some 43 low-lying and small island countries), African Group and the BASIC countries, comprising of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, are moving towards a common ground on various aspects.
The EU here is calling for a mandate to negotiate a new, legal climate deal by 2015 to also include all major economies to reduce the greenhouse gases.
The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol does not cover large emitters such as China, India and the United States, which itself has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
She said: “What we are dealing with now is what steps need to be taken between now and 2013, when we receive the report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and what happens between 2015 and 2020, these are some of the issues.”
On the Green Fund, ministers here need to ensure that the Green Climate fund is not just an empty shell, they need to give developing countries confidence that the commitment of US$ 100 billion by 2020 made in Copenhagen was indeed serious.
“We are counting down the hours before the conference ends and we know that the world is waiting with anticipation for the outcome of the COP 17. Work continued through last night (Thursday) to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome,” she stated.
Some 130 minister are attending the two-week conference which ends Friday. COP meetings are known to reach consensus early hours into the following day, after the final day when the conference is scheduled to end.
-0- PANA MM/BOS 9Dec2011
Nkoana-Mashabane, who is also South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, said progress had been made but two issues still remained.
She said the ministers were focussed on the future process for long-term finance, with specified reference to the Green Climate Fund.
“The now is: are we able to work together and to work on the future process for a future framework, that is where the discussions are at the moment,” the COP 17 president said at a press briefing Friday.
“Because all Parties want the Green Climate Fund to be launched here in Durban, what they need to look at now is the long-term finance, so we do not end up launching an empty shell,” she added as she updated journalists on the negotiations.
According to Nkoana-Mashabane, various groups, such as the European Union, G77+China, the Least Developed Countries, Oasis (a coalition of some 43 low-lying and small island countries), African Group and the BASIC countries, comprising of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, are moving towards a common ground on various aspects.
The EU here is calling for a mandate to negotiate a new, legal climate deal by 2015 to also include all major economies to reduce the greenhouse gases.
The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol does not cover large emitters such as China, India and the United States, which itself has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
She said: “What we are dealing with now is what steps need to be taken between now and 2013, when we receive the report of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and what happens between 2015 and 2020, these are some of the issues.”
On the Green Fund, ministers here need to ensure that the Green Climate fund is not just an empty shell, they need to give developing countries confidence that the commitment of US$ 100 billion by 2020 made in Copenhagen was indeed serious.
“We are counting down the hours before the conference ends and we know that the world is waiting with anticipation for the outcome of the COP 17. Work continued through last night (Thursday) to ensure we achieve the best possible outcome,” she stated.
Some 130 minister are attending the two-week conference which ends Friday. COP meetings are known to reach consensus early hours into the following day, after the final day when the conference is scheduled to end.
-0- PANA MM/BOS 9Dec2011
