Summary
As the Talanoa Dialogue draws to a close, Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, thanks Frank Bainimarama, COP 23 President, for bringing the Fijian tradition of Talanoa into the negotiation process,
The Katowice Climate Change Conference continued on Wednesday, with most negotiations happening at the ministerial level. For some issues, ministers conducted open-ended consultations, while for others ministers and delegations engaged in more informal settings. The Presidency’s texts were released in the afternoon for most issues. In the evening, two heads of delegation meetings convened.The Talanoa Dialogue concluded its political phase. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated "it is time for consensus,” and called for “compromise, as our last best chance to stop run-away climate change." He further cautioned, that failing to do so would "not only be immoral, it would be suicidal.” At the conclusion of the Talanoa Dialogue, COP 23 President Frank Bainimarama and COP 24 President Michał Kurtyka launched the Talanoa Call for Action.
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
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High-level Segment

Delegates during the high-level segment

Wallace Cosgrow, Minister of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, Seychelles

Lina Dolores Pohl Alfaro, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador


Ricardo José Lozano Picón, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia

Mokoto Francis Hloaele, Minister of Energy and Meteorology, Lesotho


Simon Stiell, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries, and Disaster Management and Information, Grenada

Heryck Rangel, Minister of People's Power for Ecosocialism, Venezuela

Informal and Presidency Consultations throughout the Day

Presidency's open-ended ministerial consultations on finance

Delegates huddle during informal consultations on linkages between the Technology Mechanism and the Financial Mechanism

Presidency's open-ended ministerial consultations on transparency
Closing of the Talanoa Dialogue


Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President

Frank Bainimarama, COP 23 President

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa

Inia Seruiratu, Minister of Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, and National Disaster Management, Fiji

Sławomir Mazurek, Deputy Minister of the Environment, Poland

Xiaofeng Guo, China

Doris Leuthard, Switzerland

Members of NGO constituencies (L-R): Ching Wen Yang, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs); Taily de Faria Marcos Terena, Women and Gender; Mariano Sanz Lubeiro, Trade Union NGOs (TUNGOs); Michael Lazarus, Research and Independent NGOs (RINGOs); Cor Lamers, Local Government and Municipal Authorities (LGMAs); Naw Ei Ei Min, Indigenous Peoples; Bjørn Gimming, Farmers; and Sandeep Chauhan, Business and Industry NGOs (BINGOs)

Michael Lazarus, RINGOs

Ching Wen Yang, YOUNGOs

Taily de Faria Marcos Terena, Women and Gender

Sandeep Chauhan, BINGOs

The 'People's Seat' is present during the session, representing the millions of stories collected digitally

As the Talanoa Dialogue draws to a close Frank Bainimarama, COP 23 President, and Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, stand with Timoci Naulusala, Fiji, and Hanna Wojdowska, Poland, representing the future generations
Civil Society Demonstrations

Representatives of the Jubilee South Asia Pacific Movement share stories of how climate change impacts food, land, and water in different regions around the world, and call on delegates to include the protection of human rights in the negotiations



Representatives of ACT Alliance and Christian Aid call for greater financing for developing countries by staging an interactive game where delegates 'roll the dice' to see what outcomes they can achieve in the negotiations



High Ambition Coalition Press Conference

Representatives and Ministers hold a press conference to announce the revival of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to step up ambition

David Paul, Minister of the Environment, Marshall Islands, and Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission

A journalist takes notes during the briefing

Delegates flood the hallway to enter the event
Around the Venue

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrive in plenary

Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, and Todd Stern, World Resources Institute (WRI)

Al Gore, Climate Reality Project

Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism, South Africa

Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Belgium, holds up his '1.5°C' tie during a Climate Action Network (CAN) International press conference

Panel speakers during a high-level event (L-R): Ingrid Hoven, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany; Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands; Emma Howard Boyd, Chair, Environment Agency UK; Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Naoko Ishii, CEO, the Global Environment Facility (GEF); and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa

Delegates from the African Group

Members of the COP 24 Presidency and UNFCCC Secretariat

Delegates from the EU

Co-facilitators and Secretariat from the informal consultations on transparency

Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaks with members of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG)




Around the exhibition area


