Delegates
to the resumed Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC met in
the morning to address organizational matters and hear the reports of
the co-chairs of the negotiating groups that had met from 16-18 July.
In the afternoon, the High-Level Segment of the meeting began with a
ceremonial opening, followed by statements from Parties. In the
evening, an informal high-level Plenary was held to begin negotiations
at the ministerial level.
Above photo (courtesy of Amarjit
Sidhu): Protester being taken down by the German police while
Ministers arrive for the High Level Segment (Right Photo)
In
cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat, the ENB will also publish ENB
on the side- a special daily report on selected side events from
COP-6bis. a special daily report on selected side events from
COP-6bis.
ENB
Daily Reports
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Photo
above: GEF CEO Mohamed El-Ashry, UNEP Executive Director Klaus
Toepfer, Bonn Mayor
Barbel
Dieckmann, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Michael
Zammit Cutajar, COP President Jan Pronk, COP Secretary Richard
Kinley, IPCC Chair Robert Watson and UNFCCC Deputy Executive
Secretary Tahar Hadj-Sadok
ORGANIZATIONAL
MATTERS:Delegates
met in a morning Plenary session to address organizational matters
and hear the reports from the Co-Chairs of the four negotiating
groups.On the status of ratification, the COP noted that there are
186 Parties to the UNFCCC and that 34 states have deposited their
instruments of ratification or accession to the Kyoto Protocol.
President Pronk added that Vanuatu had ratified the Protocol, and
ARGENTINA, SENEGAL, COLOMBIA, the COOK ISLANDS and BANGLADESH said
they had taken similar steps. On the admission of organizations as
observers, the COP approved the list of organizations recommended by
the Bureau.
REPORTS
OF THE NEGOTIATING GROUPS:
Finance:Group Co-Chair John Ashe reported on the status of the
work on capacity building, technology transfer, guidance to the GEF,
and funding issues. He highlighted bracket-free draft decisions on
capacity building in developing countries and in countries with
economies in transition.
Group Co-Chair Andrej Kranjc reported on discussions on UNFCCC Article
4.8 and 4.9 and Protocol Article 3.14 (adverse effects), which he said
had not been completed. He indicated that an informal paper had been
prepared outlining the agreed elements of the text, as well as those
still under dispute.
Land
use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF):Co-Chair
Philip Gwage (right) reported that the group had identified and made progress
on three technical issues. On definitions, he said these could still
be affected by the outcome of political decisions.
Co-Chair Dovland (right) emphasized that
Article 3.4 issues must be resolved in order to move forward. He said
the Co-Chairs would issue a corrigendum to the report in order to
address inaccuracies in the text.
Mechanisms:Co-Chair
Raoul Estrada (far left) reported that the group's outcome was a list of
technical and political issues that needed to be resolved.
Compliance:Co-Chair
Neroni Slade said the compliance report identified six outstanding
issues. He suggested that the resolution of key political issues - the
consequences to be applied by the branches and the composition of
those branches - be given priority.
The COP took note of the Co-Chairs' reports to be forwarded to the
Ministers as an input to their work. COP-6 President Jan Pronk
concluded the meeting by saying he would convene an extended Bureau to
strengthen the management process.
COP-6 President Jan Pronk (right) welcomed participants to the ceremonial opening
of the High-Level Segment of the conference. While noting that the
negotiations taking place are complex, he said delegates have all the
tools needed to complete their work, including a consolidated,
unbracketed text he had prepared to facilitate an agreement.
Barbel
Dieckmann (right), Mayor of Bonn, discussed the presence of the UNFCCC
Secretariat and other United Nations bodies and agencies in the city
of Bonn. She outlined plans to continue increasing the UN presence,
including plans for a new UN campus.
UNFCCC
Executive Secretary Michael Zammit Cutajar recalled the aims of the
Buenos Aires Plan of Action, and highlighted the challenges and needs
of developing countries in responding to climate change. Noting
progress in talks held during the past few days, he said it would be a
waste to "abandon the investment" of several years of
negotiations.
Robert Watson (left), Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
confirmed that said human activities are influencing the climate and
the atmosphere. He stated that all the scenarios considered for the
next century predict an ongoing increase in carbon dioxide levels,
more extreme weather events, temperature increases, changes in
precipitation, sea level rise, and impacts on agricultural
productivity. He noted that cost-effective technologies do exist to
target greenhouse gas emissions.
Representatives
of a recent Youth Conference on Climate Change delivered their views.
One speaker urged delegates not to increase the use of sinks in the
Protocol, and said Annex I Parties should meet at least half of their
commitment domestically. A second speaker told delegates that young
people were "extremely disappointed with your disregard for our
future" at The Hague, and urged them not to fail at Bonn.
IRAN, for the G-77/CHINA, expressed concern with the unilateral approach
of the US, and emphasized: preference for three separate decisions on
mechanisms; the need to address adverse effects; support for legally
binding consequences of non-compliance; and the need for further
negotiations on LULUCF.
BELGIUM, for the EU, said the EU is ready for compromises with all
Parties to reachagreement
on a balanced package that respects: environmental integrity; equity
and solidarity with developing countries; and economic efficiency and
flexibility in meeting the agreed targets.
SAMOA, for AOSIS, emphasized the need for additional funds to undertake
adaptation. Right photo: Minister
Tuala Sale Tagaloa, Samoa, Department of Lands, Surveys and
Environment
CZECH REPUBLIC, for CG11, expressed concern with the Pronk text on
financial obligations for Parties included in Annex I and not included
in Annex II, and with proposals for a levy on joint implementation and
emissions trading. Right photo: Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart,
Czech Republic
CANADA
underlined the importance of efficient and accessible market
mechanisms, the importance of forests and agriculture, and the need to
encourage developing country action. Left photo: Alan Nymark, Deputy
Minister for the Environment, Canada
Underlining the importance of US participation, JAPAN said she is
proactively engaged in consultations with the US, but that this should
not delay progress in this session. Left photo: Yoriko
Kawaguchi, Japanese Environment Minister
The US said they intend to
address climate change in a "serious, sensible and science-based
manner" and that they would not prevent others from going ahead with
the Protocol "so long as they do not harm legitimate US
interests."
SWITZERLAND, for the ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY GROUP, said sinks should be
of a limited scale, mechanisms should complement domestic action, and
there should be a strong compliance regime with legally binding
consequences Left photo: Philippe
Roch, Swiss State Secretary, Swiss Agency for Environment, Forest and
Landscape, Ambassador Beat Nobs, Switzerland
Around COP6bis:
Photo
(right): WWF unveils a solid ice sculpture of the globe, which
symbolizes global warming and is intended to encourage Ministers to
accelarate efforts to finalize and ratify the Protocol.
Canada,
Australia and Japan all received awards on Thursday: Canada for its
position to limit public participation on CDM projects; Canada and
Australia to strip biodiversity and environmental provisions from
all sinks and CDM decisions; and Canada, Japana and Australia for
demanding the inclusion of any and all sink activities in the CDM.
Indigenous
Peoples provided a briefing on their positions on the UNFCCCPanel
(left to right): Patrina Dumaru, Pacific Concerns Resource Centre,
Fiji, Raymond de Chavez, TEBTEBBA Foundation, Philipinnes, Alfred
Ilenre, Ethnic Minority and Indigenous Rights Organizations of Frica,
Nigeria, Sebastiao Manchineri, Coordinating Body for the Indigenous
Peoples Organizations of the Amazon Basin, Brazil, Moderator Hector
Huertas, Indigenous Peoples of Meso America on Climate Change,
Panama, and Robert Gough, Intertribal Council on Utility Policy,
United States
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