Highlights and images for 2 December 2018

Poland

Summary

Highlights for Sunday, 2 December 2018

Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, and Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, sit on the dais as the Katowice Climate Change Conference begins

COP 24 The Katowice Climate Change Conference opened on Sunday, 2 December, a day earlier than originally scheduled. Parties used this extra day to launch work under all of the bodies meeting at the conference:

  • The 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
  • The 14th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 14);
  • The 3rd part of the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties for the Paris Agreement (CMA 1-3);
  • 49th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 49);
  • 49th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 49); and
  • The 7th part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-7).
  • There were several reminders throughout the day of the urgency of the work to complete the details that will operationalize the Paris Agreement, which is due by the close of this meeting. As COP 24 President Michał Kurtyka explained, the work will be “multi-layered,” involving technical discussions and, when needed, discussions elevated to heads of delegations to unlock progress.For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

    IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily reports, daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis from the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018.


    Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

    For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page

    Morning Plenary
    UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, and Michał Kurtyka, COP 24/CMP 14/CMA 1-3 President, arrive in plenary
    View of the dais during the morning plenary
    The COP Presidency is handed over to Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
    Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
    Frank Bainimarama, COP 23 President
    Delegates during plenary
    Amjad Abdulla, Maldives
    Andrew Neustaetter, US
    Patrick Suckling, Australia
    Mohamed Nasr, Gabon, speaking on behalf of the African Group
    Opening Plenaries for SBI, SBSTA, and APA
    SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini, convenes the SBI opening plenary
    SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini
    Thiago de Araujo Mendes, Brazil
    SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France, convenes the SBSTA opening plenary
    Elena Manaenkova, Deputy Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
    Jane Hupe, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
    Delegates from Saudi Arabia in negotiation with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France, during the plenary
    APA Co-Chair Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia, convenes the APA opening plenary
    APA Contact Group
    APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, convenes the APA Contact Group
    APA family photo
    SBI, SBSTA, and APA Joint Plenary
    View of the joint plenary
    Vladimir Uskov, COP Vice-President
    Wael Aboulmagd, Egypt, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China
    Gebru Jember Endalew, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
    Yoo Yeonchul, Republic of Korea, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG)
    Carolina Díaz Acosta, Colombia, speaking on behalf of the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC)
    Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group
    Helmut Hojesky, EU
    Ravi Prasad, India, speaking on behalf of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC)
    Majid Shafiepour, Iran, speaking on behalf of the Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDCs)
    Ruth Kaviok, Indigenous Peoples
    Zhenglin Liu and Maria Auma, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs)
    Informal Consultations throughout the Day
    Delegates consult informally throughout the day
    Around the Venue
    Delegates gather on the first day of COP 24
    Helen Plume, New Zealand, speaks with a delegate
    Kishan Kumarsingh, Trinidad and Tobago, speaks with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France
    Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, and Alex Saier, UNFCCC Secretariat, during a press conference
    Delegates from Monaco
    'Sustaina Claus' speaks with a delegate
    Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
    Members of the EIG wear pieces of green to show their commitment to creating a green future
    Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, takes photographs with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa
    UN Security at the start of plenary
    SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France; Wanna Tanunchaiwatana, SBSTA Coordinator; SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini; Katia Simeonova, SBI Coordinator; APA Co-Chairs Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, and Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia; and Sergey Kononov, APA Coordinator
    Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Turkey
    Delegates speak informally
    Helmut Hojesky, Austria, speaks with a delegate
    Delegates between sessions

    Participants