Progress At Bonn Climate Change Talks

Progress At Bonn Climate Change Talks Signals Start Of Serious Negotiation

(Bonn, 08 April 2009) – The latest round of UN Climate Change Talks in Bonn, Germany concluded Wednesday, capturing the essential elements of strengthened international climate change action to be reflected in first negotiating texts for the next round of talks in June.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said: "Countries have narrowed gaps in many practical areas, for example on how to strengthen action for adapting to the impacts of climate change. They now have the necessary clarity to move into intensified negotiations based on texts."

The negotiating texts for the Climate Change Talks in June will further pinpoint the details of cooperative international climate change action, as well as focus work on the financial support needed to unleash action in developing countries. "This is important progress given the very limited time negotiators have to get to an agreed outcome in Copenhagen in December this year," Mr. de Boer added.

The Bonn Talks incorporated the 5th session of the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA 5) and the 7th session of the Ad hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP 7).

Under the AWG-LCA, countries discussed how to strengthen international cooperation on reducing emissions, including from deforestation; adapting to climate change impacts; financing action and the governance of finances. Michael Zammit Cutajar, Chair of the AWG-LCA, noted that: "These Climate Change Talks have been increasingly tactical in nature. There have been positive discussions on a range of issues, including on technology cooperation between industrialized and developing countries, as well as on the specificities of reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries."

In view of real negotiations as of the session in June, Mr. Zammit Cutajar said that: "Countries have the opportunity to provide input to the draft negotiating text for the June session. I invite countries to forward their input to the climate change secretariat by 24 April 2009, so that their views on how to shape the text and what to include in the text can be incorporated."

Discussions under the Kyoto Protocol on emissions reductions to be achieved by industrialized countries after 2012 focused on issues such as the scale of the reductions, improvements to emissions trading and the project-based mechanisms, and on options for the treatment of land use, land-use change and forestry.

Agreement was reached to provide the Chair of the group with a mandate to prepare negotiating texts on emission reductions to be achieved by industrialized countries after 2012, as well as on other issues such as improvements to the project-based mechanisms.

Harald Dovland, Chair of the AWG-KP said: "I am extremely pleased that we have agreement to prepare these texts. Things are certainly moving forward." The June session will finalize these negotiating texts, which will be proposals for amendments to the Kyoto Protocol.

The Bonn Talks were the first in a series of meetings scheduled for this year in the run-up to Copenhagen. The next round of negotiations will be held from Monday, 1 June till Friday, 12 June 2009 at the Hotel Maritim in Bonn, when the first drafts of negotiating texts will be on the table.

About the UNFCCC

With 192 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has to date 184 member Parties. Under the Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.

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