Progress on finance and adaptation should not be lost in round of compromise, warn the world’s Least Developed Countries at UNFCCC

As the next round of climate negotiations begin in Bangkok, the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group warned that there is a big risk that key issues could be lost that are vital to protect poor countries from the ravages of climate change, which they are already experiencing.

“We need massively increased finance for adaptation and for action to reduce emissions and we need to set up a proper international coordination process to deliver resources for adaptation to those in most need,” said LDCs group’s chair, Pa Ousman Jarju, of The Gambia.

“We cannot live with these issues being deferred until a new agreement is negotiated in 2015 and would not even come into effect in 2020.”

“We are experiencing global warming induced drought, water and food shortages now,” said Jarju. “The drought in the USA is costing insurance companies money, but the droughts in the LDCs are causing loss of life and livelihoods, malnutrition in our children and huge dislocation which is very serious for our survival.”

He said the Durban meeting in December 2011 agreed on four major tasks for countries to complete by the December 2012 conference in Doha:

• adopt a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
• start a new treaty negotiation
• raise the level of ambition
• AND to conclude our long negotiations under the 2007 Bali Action Plan, which must deliver on finance and adaption.

“The Bali Action Pl an is fundamental in protecting the interest of LDCs – right here and right now, and not in ten years’ time,” said Jarju. “Our attitude towards it reflects our attitude towards any future agreement. Two years of dialogue followed by five years of negotiations with interim key decisions in Cancun and Durban cannot just be ignored as if they never happened.”

“It is extremely important that Governments agree to respect the commitments they have already made to provide finance, technology and capacity building to developing countries and to enhance cooperation to help them adapt to the impacts of climate change and not to use the focus on a new processes to avoid past promises. We cannot indefinitely delay action, especially with regard to climate change, which is already upon us.”