FOR the next 11 days, world leaders will negotiate to finalise the implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Change Agreement in Katowice, Poland.
Fiji will be part of the critical negotiations with the country’s input spearheaded by chief negotiator Luke Daunivalu.
The guidelines to be achieved at COP24 will provide clarity on how to implement the landmark agreement fairly and transparently for all.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a finalised set of implementation guidelines will unleash practical climate actions with respect to all the targets and goals of the Paris Agreement, including adapting to climate change impacts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing financial and other support to developing countries.
In a statement, United Nations climate chief Patricia Espinosa said this year was likely to be one of the four hottest years on record.
“Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at record levels and emissions continue to rise. Climate change impacts have never been worse. This reality is telling us that we need to do much more – COP24 needs to make that happen,” Ms Espinosa said.
While governments are committed to finalising the guidelines in order to unleash the full potential of the Paris Agreement, a great deal of work still remains to be completed in Katowice.
COP24 president Michal Kurtyka said the 2015 Paris Agreement entered into force faster than any other agreement of its kind.
“I now call on all countries to come together, to build upon this success and to make the agreement fully functional,” Mr Kurtyka said yesterday.
He said as the president of COP24, Poland was ready to work with all nations to ensure the implementation guidelines are achieved.
Talanoa Dialogue According to the UN, COP24 will also conclude the year-long, Fiji-led Talanoa Dialogue, the first-ever international conversation of its kind to assess progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, including the goal of limiting global temperature increases.
One of the dialogue’s aims was to find practical and local solutions for how countries can increase their ambition in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which describe their individual efforts to reduce national emissions.
During the high-level event that will conclude the Talanoa Dialogue, ministers would consider the IPCC’s 1.5ºC report and its relevance in the context of future actions.
At the COP, ministers will also have the opportunity to engage in several high-level events, which all highlight the key elements of current climate change efforts.
