UNFCCC Climate Change Talks, Bangkok: Day 3

Today is the third day of the UNFCCC Climate Change Talks in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the last open sessions yesterday, Day Two, concerned the Contact Group on Enhanced Action on the Provisions of Financial Resources and Investment. The session started with the delegates from Canada requesting simplification of the language. They asked that it not concentrate on the Principles in the FCCC/WGLCA/2009/INF.2 . This is the document that contains the revised negotiated text prepared by the facilitators during and after the informal UNFCCC Climate Change meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention in Bonn August 2009.

Today it became apparent that the United States and Canada- and the EU to a certain extent- wanted to bypass the Principles of the Enhanced Action plan on Financial Resources and Investment and instead concentrate on specific language and action. They voiced concern that concentration on Principles took valuable time away from negotiations of substance. Further, as the United States stated, the guiding principles set forth in this section are already covered by the convention. The thinking was that simplicity equals clarity. The United States further indicated that simplicity helps in aiding and reaching agreement with divergent perspectives.

The United States offered that the whole section be deleted. This was in response to the Philippines on behalf of the G77 and China who thought that the principles were a good idea, presented its views on each paragraph of the proposed text. Many of the developing countries sided with the Philippines such as Bolivia and Egypt. Uganda’s response, on behalf of the Africa Group, was that the text was too long and it would be more effective to spend time discussing core issues. Uganda felt that if time was taken to discuss principles, there would not be enough time to discuss the real issues such as financing. Barbados, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, agreed with Uganda.

Later, at a dinner, regarding the Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change, I had informative discussions with delegates from the Philippines and Mali regarding the United States' position and the ratification possibilities by the United States Congress. There had also been discussions about the positive relationship of the delegates from the United States, Brazil, China and Indonesia regarding the United Nation's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries Program (UN-REDD) issues.

Lastly, our thoughts go out to those in Samoa, the Philippines and Indonesia regarding the recent earthquakes and flooding tragedies as well as those who have suffered tragedy in Southeast Asia from the current typhoon.