Doha climate meeting to take up Kyoto Protocol

HE the Chairman of Qatar’s Administrative Control and Transparency Authority (ACTA) Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, and the President of COP 18, presided on Monday over two sessions of the ongoing Pre-COP Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change in Seoul.

The two sessions were entitled ‘Reaching the Second Commitment Period to Kyoto Protocol ‘ and ‘Making Progress on All Fronts Prior to 2020 (Part I).

Speaking during the first session on Reaching the Second Commitment Period to Kyoto Protocol, al-Attiyah said: ‘There are a number of legal, technical and procedural issues that must be in place in Doha to ensure a smooth start of the second commitment period, including carry-over and eligibility”.

“By way of introduction, I would like to first underline that a successful completion of the negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol, which includes the adoption of amendments to the Protocol, is widely anticipated to be a major outcome of the Doha conference. I am confident that we will adopt this amendment.

“I also recognise that we still have some gaps to close between now and the adoption. Last year in Durban, parties agreed that there would be a second commitment period and when it would start”, he said.

“However, Durban left a few key issues unresolved. Doha has to resolve the length of the second commitment period, on the quantified emission reduction objectives for Annex I Parties in the second commitment period (the so-called QELROs).”

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On the issue discussed during the second session on Making Progress on All Fronts Prior to 2020, al-Attiyah said facilitating enhanced climate actions across the globe and strengthening the means of implementation for mitigation and adaptation are critical for all.

In this regard, parties have echoed the need for a successful closure of the AWG-LCA negotiations, as mandated in Durban, he said.

“As you are aware, full clarity on the means of implementation is a critical building block for our system of enhanced action under the convention, in the coming years. Important milestones have emerged under the AWG-LCA to date. In Cancun and Durban, key institutions and processes were established to enhance the means of implementation. These include the Green Climate Fund, Standing Committee, Adaptation Committee, and the Technology Mechanism with its Technology Executive Committee and its Climate Technology Centre and Network.”

“We have in front of us the important task of making those key institutions and mechanisms operational to ensure that adequate, predictable and sustainable resources and support are available for developing countries.”

source: Gulf Times