Download 151205 AILAC Closing Statement ADP 2 -12 vf

INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
AILAC
Statement for the ADP 2 -12 Closing Plenary
Paris, France. December 5th, 2015
Distinguished Co Chairs. Fellow delegates.
1. I have the honour to submit this statement on behalf of the AILAC group of countries:
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Panamá, Paraguay and Peru. At the
outset, AILAC associates its statement with that submitted by South Africa on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China.
2. Four years ago in Durban, at CoP 17 we affirmed our collective will to prove that the
multilateral setting under the UNFCCC was the forum that could provide a comprehensive
and effective response to the global threat of climate change. The instrument to deliver
this response: a new legally binding agreement, under the Convention, applicable to all, to
set us on track, as a global community, towards the common target of holding the
increase in the average temperature below 2°C or 1.5°C, and achieve a world without
harmful emissions.
3. Never before, have we been so close on delivering an ambitious outcome, which rises to
the magnitude of this challenge. Never before have we moved so decisively in at attempt
to bridge our interests, concerns and challenges into a single comprehensive course of
action that delivers ambition on mitigation, adaptation and the associated means of
implementation.
4. Here in Paris, we have a unique opportunity to secure the future of generations to come.
We must be able these coming 3 days, to move beyond national positions, to a solution
cognisant of our collective interest of prosperity for people and planet, and beyond our
national agendas or divergences. We cannot and we must not allow self-interest to deter
us from doing what we know is right. CoP 21 is the place and the moment for a new
chapter in the fight against climate change, one that delivers unequivocally on the
mandate of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action.
5. The Paris Agreement must be durable and set the basis for enhancing ambition towards
the achievement of the objective of the Convention, by enabling the implementation of
nationally determined commitments in a successive, progressive, and fully transparent
manner, with a view to arrive at commonly agreed goals on all elements: mitigation,
adaptation and means of implementation.
6. The Agreement must recognize and provide legal force to the actions that Parties
themselves have nationally determined and communicated, acknowledging both the
capabilities and responsibilities of developed and developing countries respectively, as
well as the need for action to deliver on the necessary collective level of ambition.
7. For AILAC, this collective calling makes it imperative to reflect a long-term mitigation goal
that leads the world towards net zero emissions by the end of the century and,
consequently the effective implementation of individual mitigation commitments and
provision of finance to support developing countries to reach these. A strengthened
transparency system, together with successively updated commitments on mitigation and
means of implementation, are necessary to ensure the integrity of the agreement,
promote trust between Parties and facilitate the progressive increase of ambition every
five years.
8. The Agreement must also provide parity between adaptation and mitigation, supported by
a real commitment by developed countries to provide resources in a transparent and
predictable manner, in particular through the definition of clear collective and regularly
updated short term targets and the communication of individual quantified forwardlooking information.
9. An equitable and fair agreement must include Loss and Damage, a reality this is affecting
countries and will continue permanently. Therefore, Loss and Damage must be
adequately recognized and reflected in the agreement, including various institutional
arrangements necessary to fully address the gravity of the issue.
10. Let us also not forget that along with the agreeing an durable agreement that will facilitate
enhanced ambition from post 2020 into future decades, Paris must also fortify and
crystalize efforts by Parties and Non-Party stakeholders to increase ambitious action pre
2020, in order to close the dangerous emissions gap that continues to exist, threatening
the continued development and sustainability and development of all countries.
11. As we approach the end of this long journey from Durban to Paris, AILAC commends the
efforts and recognizes the key role that many partners have had in bringing us to this
important moment of our process. One of our own, Peru - as President of CoP 20 – kept us
moving forward on the road from Lima to Paris, always reminding us of the importance of
unity and persistence towards our common objective. Five years ago, another regional
partner, Mexico, as President of CoP 16 reminded us of the importance of trust, trust in
each other and trust in the foundations laid 20 years ago under the Convention, as the
enduring framework that can serve to catalyse global action, while recognizing our
common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
12. We now bestow our complete confidence in France, as the President of CoP 21, who has
shown commitment to an inclusive road to Paris and who we trust will continue to
preserve and pursue the important values of transparency, inclusiveness and party-driven
nature of this process, which are critical to the success and endurance of the multilateral
system. Because only if we all feel a part to this deal will we be able to tackle this problem
once and for all. We have learned from the mistakes of the past, which will help us
succeed here in Paris and beyond.
Co- Chairs, Friends,
13. AILAC is ready to continue moving forward in a constructive spirit, with bridge – building
proposals and paving the way for the successful adoption of an ambitious Paris Agreement
by our Ministers. The output of the ADP contains the cornerstones of what is to come,
marked by ambition and inclusiveness, for if this is a problem caused by humans, the
solution can be forged by humans as well, having at their disposal all the necessary tools
to do it. We believe that these two concepts are the key to a lasting and ambitious
climate change regime, to ensure low emission and climate resilient development. These
are extraordinary times that require extraordinary efforts, and success is simply a must.
14. Last but not least we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the
government and the people of France for providing us with excellent facilities that take
into account environmental considerations so important for all of us.
Thank you.