Alliance of Small Island Developing States

The Fiji / Bonn Climate Change Conference continued on Tuesday. In the morning, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) resumed its first session in an opening plenary, and met in a contact group for all substantive agenda items. The plenaries for the Conference of the Parties (COP) and Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) resumed in the afternoon. Throughout the day, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) contact groups and informal consultations and APA informal consultations convened. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Fiji / Bonn Climate Change Conference 2017. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. APA Opening Plenary Delegates gather for the APA opening plenary APA Co-Chairs Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, and Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia Helmut Hojesky, Austria, COP 23 Vice-President Delegates applaud the re-election of the APA Co-Chairs Walter Schuldt Espinel, Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Patrick Suckling, Australia, on behalf of the Umbrella Group Gebru Jember, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia Meelis Münt, EU Hussein Alfa Nafo, Mali, speaking on behalf of the African Group Amjad Abdulla, Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Xiandi Ooi, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs) Majda Dabaghi, Business NGOs (BINGOs) Tianyang Zhou, Women and Gender APA Contact Group Delegates during the APA contact group Ravi Prasad, India Liang Pei, China APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand APA family photo Civil Society Actions throughout the Day Representatives from Friends of the Earth call for an end to 'dirty energy' Representatives of the Women and Gender constituency conduct an aerobics class to remind COP 23 delegates to metaphorically 'mind the gap' of gender inequality, and 'reach' for a gender action plan Contact Groups and Informal Consultations throughout the Day SBI informal consultations on National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) Delegates sit on the floor as rooms are filled to capacity SBSTA informal consultations on issues relating to agriculture SBI/SBSTA contact group on the impact of the implementation of response measures SBI contact group on administrative, financial and institutional matters COP Plenary View of the dais during the COP plenary Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President Nazhat Shameem Khan, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 Presidency Ewen McDonald, Co-Chair, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Chizuru Aoki, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Georg Børsting, Co-Chair, Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) Paweł Sałek, Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Climate Policy, Poland Nedal Katbeh-Bader, State of Palestine CMP Plenary View of the dais during the CMP plenary Frank Wolke, Chair, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board (EB) Gherghita Nicodim, Vice Chair, Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) Gerhard Loibl, Co-Chair, Compliance Committee Victor Vinas, Vice Chair, Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) Around the Venue Delegates from Poland Marcela Main Sancha, Secretary to the COP/CMP, UNFCCC, speaks with Nazhat Shameem Khan, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 Presidency Salaheddine Mezouar, COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1 President, speaks with delegates from Morocco Hayrapet Hakobyan, Armenia Delegates read the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) to keep track of negotiations Delegates between sessions

The Fiji / Bonn Climate Change Conference opened in Bonn, Germany. In the morning, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, was elected COP 23 President by acclamation. He then presided over a traditional Fijian ceremony, the Qaloqalovi, which included the presentation of a Tabua, the tooth of a sperm whale. During the opening ceremony, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa called on parties to act with urgency, saying “right here, right now is where we begin.” The opening plenaries of the Conference of the Parties (COP), Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) and Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) met during the morning and early afternoon. In the afternoon, the opening plenaries of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) met in parallel and, later, in a joint plenary. Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) roundtables met on compliance and on further guidance relating to the mitigation section of Decision 1/CP.21 (the Paris outcome) in the afternoon. SBSTA and SBI contact groups and informal consultations also met in the afternoon. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Fiji / Bonn Climate Change Conference 2017. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Ceremony Delegates gather for the opening of COP 23/CMP/CMA Salaheddine Mezouar, COP 22/CMP 12 President Salaheddine Mezouar, COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1 President, hands the gavel to Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, and COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President Delegates are welcomed to the meeting with a musical performace Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa Hoesung Lee, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair Barbara Hendricks, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany Ashok-Alexander Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn, Germany Jan Szysko, Minister of Environment, Poland, and incoming COP 24/CMP 14/CMA 1-3 President; Frank Bainimarama  COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President; and Salaheddine Mezouar, COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1 President Representatives from Fiji perform a traditional ceremony, known as the Qaloqalovi, to open the meeting Barbara Hendricks, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany, and Sai Navoti, Fiji, drink kava - a traditional Fijian drink used in welcoming ceremonies COP, CMP and CMA Opening Plenaries View of the dais during the opening plenaries Ravi Prasad, India Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President Majid Shafie-Pour, Iran, speaking on behalf of Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Chen Zhihua, China Walter Schuldt Espinel, Ecuador, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Ian Fry, Tuvalu Meelis Münt, EU Halldor Thorgeirsson, UNFCCC Secretariat Marcela Main Sancha, Secretary to the COP/CMP, UNFCCC Patrick Suckling, Australia, on behalf of the Umbrella Group Gemedo Dalle, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Abdullahi Majeed, Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Delegates during plenary SBSTA Opening Plenary View of the dais during the SBSTA opening plenary SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Elena Manaenkova, WMO Thinley Namgyel, Vice Chair of the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) Advisory Board Michael Rantil, Technology Executive Committee (TEC) Chair Abdalah Mokssit, IPCC SBI Opening Plenary View of the dais during the SBI opening plenary SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Felipe Ferreira, Brazil Philip Weech, the Bahamas Chizuru Aoki, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) SBI/SBSTA Joint Plenary View of the dais during the SBI/SBSTA joint plenary SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland, and SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Hussein Alfa Nafo, Mali, speaking on behalf of the African Group Jean Diur Muland, Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) Chan-Woo Kim, Republic of Korea, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Liliam Ballón Sánchez de Amézaga, Peru, speaking on behalf of the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Carribean (AILAC) Around the Venue Barbara Hendricks, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany, arrives in plenary Hamza Tber, COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1 Presidency, with Aziz Mekouar, Morocco, COP 22/CMP 12/CMA 1 Presidency Nazhat Shameem Khan, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 Presidency, speaks with a delegate Delegates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, and the US Delegates between sessions

On Thursday, 20 July, in an afternoon plenary, delegates considered a further revised Chair’s text including: a draft recommendation to the General Assembly on the substantive elements of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI), indicating that the structure and elements reflect the outcome of the PrepCom discussions, and are not exclusive and without prejudice to the position of states during the negotiations; a procedural recommendation to the General Assembly to take a decision, as soon as possible, on convening and intergovernmental conference (IGC) under the UN auspices, to consider the PrepCom’s substantive recommendations and to elaborate the ILBI text under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with a starting date as early as possible; and two sections, one on elements of the draft ILBI text (section A) and the other on elements that require most attention towards further progress in the development of a draft ILBI text (section B). Following a round of comments, Chair Duarte acknowledged that the revised draft did not fully reflect all positions; noted concerns expressed by some delegations and those requesting more time to make a decision; and adjourned the session, expressing willingness to exhaust every effort to arrive at consensus, in line with the PrepCom mandate, and inviting delegates to share suggestions with him. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS John Brincat, EU Lois Young, Belize, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya Hina Saeed Baig, Pakistan Luke Daunivalu, Fiji, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Juan Carlos Mendoza García, Costa Rica Maxim Musikhin, Russian Federation Rena Lee, Singapore Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh, on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Ismail Raushan, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea Ryan Fung A Loi, Suriname Ariel Cayanan, the Philippines Evan Bloom, US Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Mohamed Atlassi, Morocco Florian Botto, Monaco Ma Xinmin, China Narayanane Saravanane, India Alain Tellier, Canada EU delegates consulting immediately after the end of the session Delegates from PSIDS consulting Delegates in informal consultations L-R: Elisa Morgera, IISD Reporting Services, in a discussion with John Brincat, EU L-R: Alistair Graham, Australia, in a conversation with Gerardo Irimia, Panama L-R: Susan Whelan, Holy See, in a conversation with Julian Jackson, The Pew Charitable Trusts A delegate looking at IISD web coverage Delegates from India