Joint SBI-SBSTA closing, Tuesday, 14 November 2017
YOUNGO
Joint statement
Good evening, I am Mathias from Ghana speaking on behalf of YOUNGO.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our perspective
We are pleased that an agreement has been reached within the agriculture family and that food security and urgency were included. We support the linking of advising and implementation in a circular manner.
We also welcome the functions of the local communities and indigenous peoples platform articulated by the original Co-Facilitator’s Draft Decision Text as a ”step-wise” approach.
However, in other negotiations, some developed countries consistently tried to include very vague language into some texts. In the spirit of Talanoa, we have to continue to negotiate with a flexible, realistic, ambitious and open-minded attitude. We support the call to feed the IPCC conclusions into the Talanoa dialogue process before being shared with SBSTA.
Also, we encourage accelerating the common time frames of NDC review and clarify the implementation process of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and the Third Review of the Adaptation Fund.
We support parties, who are undertaking ACE-related initiatives and climate actions, since this involves more stakeholders in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. With respect to Article 12 of the Paris Agreement, YOUNGO is supporting parties on educating, training, and empowering youth to take action in their communities.
Finally, we support the Fijian Presidency to make the Ocean Pathway Partnership included in UNFCCC work. YOUNGO suggests this item to be put in the agendas of SBSTA and SBI, and that all countries address marine issues in their NDCs.
Moving forward, we encourage parties to be more inclusive, with respect to civil society - particularly the youth - in future negotiations, programs and workshops.
We also hope
- that any knowledge and technology sharing will be done in a fair manner,
- that youth will be involved in research and implementation,
- and that those processes will be executed in a way to protect local community and the environment from negative externalities.
Thank you for listening
SBI statement
We are running out of time. Several developing countries addressed key concerns at the opening of the 47th Session of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 47) on 6 Nov, which took place after the official opening of COP23 here in Bonn, Germany. Yet, there is little progress made on the adoption of agenda items.
The common time frames of NDC referred to Article 4, Paragraph 10 of Paris Agreement arose a lengthy debate in the negotiations, and there are several other items that is pertinent in reflecting the implementation process that has yet to be further clarified such as the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and the Third Review of the Adaptation Fund.
It is highly important for all stakeholders to be involved in enhancing the implementation of the Paris Agreement, particularly through ACE-related initiatives and processes under the SBI Chair. Inclusion of youth is pertinent in addressing climate action and advocating the significance of climate change education.
In recognizing the SBI-47 decision 1/CP.21, paragraph 83, YOUNGO is proactive in moving forward simultaneously with all parties and observers in the UNFCCC to educate, train, and empower society to take climate action at both national and international level. We acknowledge and support the mandate of the CMA on ACE for the operationalization of the Paris Agreement and is adamant to contribute the voices of youth to put together an effective work plan immediately to allow CMA to complete the mandate as mentioned in paragraph 83 before the end of its first session of COP24 in December 2018.
We appreciate that the Parties recognize the role of young people in Element 6 of informal note by the facilitator in the draft elements for SBI agenda item 18. Empowering young people is the right step in capacity building to ensure intergenerational equity. In order to accelerate the implementation of climate action, there is a need for financial resource assistance so that youth can thrive in the intergovernmental process.
In the spirit of Talanoa, which means “inclusivity, participatory and transparent”, we have to continue working in an inter-collaborative manner, inspiring one another to take concrete actions so that we are on the right track in achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement.
SBSTA statement
Thank you for opportunity to share the youth perspective. Firstly, it is really concerning to us how slow negotiations are happening.
Scientific and technological issues discussed in SBSTA concern every person in the world and can greatly help to address more effectively the pressures of climate change. This advice SBSTA is mandated to give; thus, has to come quickly.
We were disappointed by the time constraints that have been affecting the negotiation process and the previous workshops. Going forward, we hope that much more time will be allocated for parties for these crucial discussions. We are also concerned by the fact that some specific issues and countries keep blocking the whole negotiation process from moving forward. We support that future processes be given enough time to produce tangible outcomes.
Second, we welcome the functions of the local communities and indigenous peoples platform articulated by the original Co-Facilitator’s Draft Decision Text as a ”step-wise” approach. Moving forward, we will evaluate all platform proposals against the following principles:
- Full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples;
- Equal status and representation of Indigenous Peoples with Parties, including in leadership roles;
- Self-selection of Indigenous’ representatives in accordance with Indigenous Peoples’ own procedures;
- Adequate funding from the UNFCCC Secretariat and voluntary contributions to enable the aforementioned functions
Third, we support the call from other constituencies, for the IPCC report's conclusions to be fed in into Talanoa dialogue process and be included into SBSTA work.
Fourth, we welcome and support the strong statements added in the conclusions of the negotiation of agenda item 7 regarding food security and cooperation and support their inclusion in all future work of the UNFCCC. We look forward to seeing that these concepts addressed at more than a theoretical level.
Fifth, we support the linking of advising and implementation, in an iterative circular manner. Rapid, concertive and constructive implementation is key in all topics and no country should have to support the burden alone.
In this regard we welcome the proposed joint work program with SBI under the agenda item 7 of SBSTA and hope it will include advice and implementation on technological and capacity building at local levels; being inclusive of civil society, women and youth. We hope that this issue will soon stop blocking any negotiations.
Also, YOUNGO supports the fact that, both in technical advising and implementation logics, all future negotiation and workshops should work on solutions that take into account all local actors, resources and technologies, in an inclusive manner.
Finally, we want to emphasize the hope we have that any sharing of knowledge and technology will be done in a fair manner and will involve youth participation in research and implementation. It is also essential that food productivity increases and climate action measures do not have negative externalities to the environment and local communities, and that the voice of the small farmers, youth, women and indigenous people will be taken into account.
We wish the Parties an effective, efficient and productive few months until SBSTA48.
Thank you