Download AILAC Opening Statement ADP 2 - 11 ENG

INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
AILAC
Opening Statement for the
ADP 2 -11 Opening Plenary
Bonn, October 19th, 2015
Distinguished Co – Chairs, Fellow Delegates.
1. I have the honor to submit this statement on behalf of the AILAC group of countries: Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay and Peru.
2. Allow us to associate ourselves with the statement submitted by South Africa on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China.
Co – Chairs,
3. We have arrived at the final lead-up to our ultimate landing milestone: CoP 21 in Paris next
December. It has been a long, complex and enriching journey for us all, made up of many stages
that hold true testimony to the everlasting importance of the task at hand, the success of which
can only be guaranteed by a shared conviction that only through collective ambition and action
shall we implement effective commitments that produce tangible results in the global fight
against the threats of climate change.
4. The legally binding agreement and decisions that come out of Paris must above all be durable and
comprehensive addressing all dimensions of the global challenge that climate change poses to
present and future generations, with balanced commitments for all Parties.
5. We have called many times, together with many of our partners, for your support in arriving at a
manageable instrument for negotiations, that encompasses all issues that have been discussed
over the past months and years, capturing the foundations of the extensive conceptual
discussions that we have had, in an effort to bring the multiple existing positions together
underpinned by our call for an ambitious, durable and fair agreement. Coming to the dawn of the
ADP Process here at ADP 2 - 11 we have been presented by you with an instrument.
6. Bearing in mind the need to use the little remaining time we have left in the most focused and
efficient manner possible, we hope for a day of concise interventions that signal the critical gaps
in the text that need to be filled, and for a new text that can be the starting point of the
negotiations tomorrow.
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Co-Chairs, Fellow delegates,
7. AILAC stresses the need for ambition to be the underpinning principle that guides our work. A
durable, ambitious agreement implies not only the establishment of nationally determined
mitigation commitments, and adaptation and means of implementation efforts, but also
assurance that they will be implemented. In doing so, we are renewing the way in which the
multilateral system can catalyse national action, by means of defining nationally determined
contributions that Parties themselves are putting forward as commitments to be carried out
under a multilateral agreement.
8. The durability of this agreement and the continuous enhancement of ambition will be ensured by
embedding short term, successive commitment cycles for nationally determined commitments
that provide the certainty and predictability that Parties will continue to update and implement
commitments into the future, specifically every 5 years for mitigation NDCs. A short-term
commitment cycle is the most effective way to create an agreement that is capable of triggering
countries to frequently revisit and enhance their ambition, significantly increasingly the
momentum towards staying below the 2°C temperature increase and any other long-term
emissions reduction goals decided by Parties in Paris. For AILAC, it is critical that the agreement go
beyond the global temperature goal agreed in Cancun and establish a quantified, long-term
trajectory, as recommended by the latest science, that will help guide Parties and signal non-state
actors to collectively reach net zero emissions by the end of the century, according to the
national development capabilities. Basic accounting rules for mitigation NDCs must also be
included in the agreement as a way to ensure the environmental integrity and effectiveness of the
agreement.
9. It has also become clear that the definition of a collective quantitative goal for scaling up the
mobilization of finance is critical to enhance the ambition and durability of the Paris outcome.
Specific commitments to reach $100 billion per year in mobilized climate finance by 2020 and
scale it up further in the post-2020 period are critical for the effective implementation of the
Agreement. Additionally, the agreement must include an effective, robust transparency system
that builds on existing arrangements under the Convention and ensures frequent and robust
reporting and review of information to track progress of action and support, with the support
needed for developing countries to do so.
10. AILAC countries welcome the INDCs from nearly 150 Parties that have been presented over the
past few months, reflecting Parties that represent nearly 90 % of GHG emissions, which lay the
foundations for enhanced action in the post-2020 period. We emphasize the need for those
contributions to be clear, transparent and understandable and to respect the principles of nonback sliding on existing commitments, targets and actions under the Convention.
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11. The Paris Agreement must be shaped in a manner that addresses the fundamental linkage
between mitigation efforts, adaptation and loss and damage and the corresponding need for
means of implementation. The Global Stocktake that shall periodically track the successive
commitments on all issues must recognize the linkage so that the underpinning ambition on all
fronts ensures the delivery of aggregate long-term goals that effectively tackle the causes and
adverse impacts of climate change. The High Level Sessions on Mitigation, Adaptation and Climate
Finance shall build on the outputs resulting from such a Stocktake process, in a manner that
catalyses implementation of national action oriented towards the achievement of agreed global
goals.
12. An equitable and fair agreement must include Loss and Damage, a reality this is already affecting
countries and will become more pressing if sufficient mitigation ambition is not achieved.
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.
Co-Chairs,
13. On a final note, AILAC stresses the importance of further advancing the discussion on the legal
aspects pertaining to the Agreement in particular the inclusion of a compliance mechanism that
includes a compliance committee as well as the need for the entry into force arrangements to
address both representativeness and significance with regards to global emissions.. These issues
go to ensure the transparency and understanding of the overall structure of the Agreement we
are collectively building.
14. AILAC is an ambitious and pragmatic group, which seeks to build solutions. We are ready to listen
to new ideas and revise our own in order to secure an ambitious outcome, decisive and
irreversible, that catalyses the multilateral effort to address climate change. The world expects
and demands a lot from all Parties, and we must act boldly and urgently to make Paris a success.
Thank you very much.
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