UNFCCC Conference in Bonn presents an opportunity to set the stage for COP21
With six months to go until the COP21 in Paris later this year, more than 190 countries are gathering in Bonn, Germany, from the 1st to 11th of June. At this session negotiators are expected to reduce the current negotiating text which is about 90 pages, by removing duplication, fleshing out new ideas, and by distinguishing between elements which will form the agreement and others which might be parked until or after Paris. Bonn also presents an important moment for developing countries. At this conference they will have to continue put pressure on developed countries in order to ensure that the outcome document includes agreement to provide adequate support to manage the increasing impacts of climate change. One of the key drivers for unlocking the negotiations is certainly climate finance; this is needed to enable countries to carry out the transition towards a low carbon path. In addition, it is essential that climate finance, specifically in the form of public funds, is guaranteed to allow for adaptation in the most vulnerable regions affected by climate change. Another key feature that will be addressed in Bonn is “differentiation”: this is the idea that every country needs to play its part in climate action but that differential responsibilities will be needed, especially in the commitment to phase out from fossil fuels.
CIDSE will be present in Bonn with members from CAFOD, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Development & Peace, Misereor, SCIAF and Trócaire. On the 1st of June CIDSE, together with CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Misereor and other NGOs is hosting a side-event on matters related to agriculture and food security. This event is, titled: “Let’s not move back! Food and Nutrition Security should be at the heart of climate action and negotiations” and will address the notion of climate-smart agriculture with CIDSE presenting a new updated briefing on the developments of the Global Alliance entitled “Climate-Smart Revolution or… a new era of green-washing?“. A second side-event will be happening on the 11th of June, where CIDSE and its members will present the “Catholic perspective on climate change and expectations on the Paris agreement“; a forward looking discussion which will be focused on the upcoming Papal Encyclical on human ecology.
Meanwhile, the past weekend saw the first Global Day of Action organised by international civil society groups. On this day thousands of activists took to the streets to call for solutions to the world’s greatest problems – climate change, poverty and inequality.
A foundation of fairness and ambition is therefore key for a successful outcome not only at this session in Bonn, but foremost in Paris if we are to achieve a legally binding agreement that keeps the world well below 2C temperature increase.
Contact person: Giulia Bondi, Junior Officer- Climate Justice (bondi(at)cidse.org).