The Bonn Climate Change Conference started with a familiar hiccup: an agenda fight.
Despite lengthy discussions, Heads of Delegation of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) could not resolve disagreement ahead of the first conference day and met again throughout the morning of Monday, 5 June, leading to a delayed start of the joint opening plenary of the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA).
Want to dig deeper? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Parties nevertheless agreed to launch work on the basis of the SBSTA’s provisional agenda and the SBI’s supplementary provisional agenda, which were both issued ahead of the meeting. Consultations on the agendas will continue with a view to adopting them at a later stage. With many country groups, individual countries, and observer organizations taking the floor to deliver opening remarks, the opening plenary ran all afternoon and into the evening.
The delay in the opening plenary in turn pushed the presentation by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the much anticipated Synthesis Report of its Sixth Assessment Report cycle into the evening hours. Opening the event, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee stressed that the present pace and scale of climate action are insufficient, with much deeper cuts in emissions necessary to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Despite the hiccup with the agenda, negotiations on a number of issues started in the afternoon, including on:
- emissions from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport;
- cooperative approaches under the Paris Agreement; and
- support for developing country reporting.
Opening the session, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell encouraged parties to “be brave” and prioritize the common good. Pointing to the large number of issues to be addressed in the negotiations and the numerous mandated events to take place over the two-week-long meeting, the SB Chairs admonished parties to work constructively and efficiently.
To receive free coverage of global environmental events delivered to your inbox, subscribe to the ENB Update newsletter.
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For the Bonn Climate Change Conference 2023, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth.
Opening Plenary
Delegates gather for the opening plenary
Harry Vreuls, SBSTA Chair
Nabeel Munir, SBI Chair
Chhaya Kapilashrami, Senior Director, UNFCCC
Gabriel Kpaka, Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG)
Pedro Pedroso Cuesta, Cuba, on behalf of the G-77/China
Mattias Frumerie, EU
Sally Box, Australia, on behalf of the Umbrella Group
Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, Zambia, on behalf of the African Group
Franz Perrez, Switzerland, on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG)
Pa'olelei Luteru, Samoa, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Simon Cardy, South Africa, on behalf of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC)
Liliam Chagas de Moura, Uruguay, on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay (ABU)
Abdalah Mokssit, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Chris Hewitt, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Genaro Matías Godoy González and Ishrag Abdalla, Youth NGOs (YOUNGO)
Meriem Madi, Climate Action Network (CAN), and Gadir Lavadenz Lamadrid, Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ)
Ayshka Najib, Women and Gender
Nicky Castillo Batang-Ay, Indigenous Peoples
Informal Consultations Throughout the Day
Informal consultations on financial and technical support for developing country reporting
Delegates huddle during the informal consultation on the implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security
Informal consultations on Article 6.2 (cooperative approaches)
Informal consultations on matters relating to capacity building
Special IPCC Event
A special IPCC event was held on the AR6 Synthesis Report
Hoesung Lee, IPCC Chair
Katherine Calvin, IPCC Author
Aditi Mukherji, IPCC Author
Christopher Trisos, IPCC Author
Peter Thorne, IPCC Author
Dipak Dasgupta, IPCC Author
Various slides from the AR6 report are presented
Delegates take note of the information presented
Around the Venue
As the opening plenary is delayed by several hours, delegates speak informally
Global Stocktake Co-Facilitators Harald Winkler, South Africa (center), and Farhan Akhtar, US (right) speak with delegates
Sue Biniaz, US, with delegates from the US and Egypt
Delegates meet informally in the corridors
Delegates from Mexico and Chile consult
Seyni Nafo, Mali
Paul Watkinson, UAE, speaks with Maesela Kekana, South Africa
Hoesung Lee, IPCC Chair, with Hyoeun Jenny Kim, Republic of Korea
