OUTCOMES OF THE 19th CONFERENCE OF
THE PARTIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS
FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE
CHANGE (COP 19)
Background
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) was formed to address the threat of climate change
• It is an international environmental treaty produced at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in
1992.
• The objective of the treaty is to stabilize greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
• The parties to the convention have met annually from 1995 in
Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing
with climate change. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was concluded
and established legally binding obligations for developed
countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Background…..
• The Conference of Parties (COP) is the only global
negotiation platform aimed at achieving global reductions in
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
• Given that climate change is a global issue it is imperative
that Parties agree on a common framework within which to
tackle this global challenge.
• COP 19 was held in Warsaw, Poland from 11 November to
22 November 2013 and SA was represented.
Key areas in addressing climate change
• Mitigation – curbing greenhouse gas
emissions
• Adaptation - responding to the
adverse effects of climate change
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Finance
Further advancing the Durban Platform - Mitigation
COP 17 was held in 2011, Durban, SA. COP 17 paved a way for the
second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol since the first
commitment period was coming to an end in 2011.
• The COP requests the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban
Platform for Enhanced Action to accelerate its development of a
protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with
legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties
• Resolves to accelerate the provision of means of implementation,
including technology, finance and capacity-building support for
developing country Parties, recognizing that such implementation
will enhance ambition in the pre-2020 period.
• Also resolves to enhance ambition in the pre-2020 period in order
to ensure the highest possible mitigation efforts under the
Convention.
Loss and Damage - Adaptation
Small-island states and other particularly vulnerable developing
countries have pressed for years for greater attention to “loss and
damage” resulting from extreme events and slow-onset impacts
such as sea-level rise, which will be unavoidable even with strong
mitigation and adaptation efforts. Parties agreed at COP 18 to reach
a decision in Warsaw on “institutional arrangements” addressing loss
and damage, and Typhoon Haiyan put the issue front and centre.
• Establishes the Warsaw international mechanism for loss and
damage, under the Cancun Adaptation Framework, subject to
review at the twenty-second session of the Conference of the
Parties (November–December 2016).
• Also establishes an executive committee of the Warsaw
international mechanism, which shall function under the
guidance of, and be accountable to, the Conference of the Parties.
Adaptation Plans
• Encourages the Adaptation Committee to continue its work
on providing technical support and guidance to the Parties,
in particular in the area of national adaptation plans, and to
seek further coherence and synergy with other relevant
bodies and programmes under the Convention in
implementing its workplan.
• Emphasizes that undertaking the national adaptation plan
process is an investment for the future that will enable
countries to assess and prioritize adaptation needs in a
coherent and strategic manner;
• Welcomes the technical guidelines for the national
adaptation plan process, which will assist the least
developed country Parties in undertaking their national
adaptation plan process, and which may be used by other
Finance
• Underlines the urgency of implementing commitments
related to financing and transfer of technology under the
Convention.
• Recognizes the commitment undertaken by developed
country Parties to a goal of jointly mobilizing USD 100
billion annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing
countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions
and transparency on implementation.
• Also recognizes the importance of providing clarity on the
level of financial support that will be provided by developed
country Parties to developing country Parties to allow for
enhanced implementation of the Convention.
• Requests Parties to enhance their enabling environments
and policy frameworks to facilitate the mobilization and
effective deployment of climate finance.
Monitoring and Evaluation
• Adopts the general guidelines for domestic measurement,
reporting and verification of domestically supported
nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing
country Parties.
• Adopts the revised Guidelines for the preparation of
national communications by Parties and decides that Annex
I Parties shall use these guidelines in preparing their
inventories.
Implications
• GDARD will implement projects and programmes
that are aligned with the Conference’s outcomes
and South African position or commitment on
climate change issues.