Address by Hon. Catherine Namugala, MP, Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources to the media on the Outcomes of the Cancun Climate Change Outcome at a Media Working Breakfast, Wednesday 26^th January 2010, Fairview Hotel

• Master of Ceremonies,
• The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources,
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps present,
• Senior Government Officials,
• Members of the Press,
• Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

1.   Background

·         I wish to share with you, and through you the nation, the proceedings and outcome of the Climate Change Conference held last month in Cancun, Mexico,

·         The Conference was held from 29^th November to 10^th December 2010 and constituted the 16^th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP-16) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and also served as the Sixth Meeting of the Parties under the Kyoto Protocol,

·         Two other subsidiary bodies; the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) as well as two working groups - one under the Convention and the other under the Kyoto Protocol - were also meeting in Cancun during the same period,

·         This Conference attracted over 12,000 participants and Zambia was represented by 33 delegates drawn from different Government Departments, private sector, civil society and the media,

·         The focus in Cancun was on a two-track negotiating process aiming to enhance long-term cooperation under the Convention and the Protocol building on the unfulfilled objectives of the Copenhagen Conference held in 2009,

2.   Proceedings

·         The Conference was conducted in two parts, the first one was a technical session in which experts negotiated the technical details of the expected outcomes,

·         These experts narrowed down options and provided recommendations for the high level segment during which Heads of States and Governments including Ministers considered these recommendations,

·         The High Level segment provided political guidance by resolving some of the contentious political questions that could not be resolved by the experts at the technical level,

·         During the high level segment, several consultations were also conducted and national statements delivered to the plenary,

·         Zambia delivered the national statement on Wednesday, 8^th December 2010 in the late afternoon,

·         The Mexican Government as host of the Conference provided a conducive environment throughout the Conference by ensuring that proceedings were Party-driven, transparent, participatory, inclusive and open,

·         The Foreign Affairs Minister of Mexico, Her Excellency Ms. Patricia Espinoza, who was elected President of the Conference ensured that Parties led the deliberations and no one was excluded from the process,

·         This atmosphere provided confidence to Parties and Conference participants in general in that the outcome of the Conference would emanate from their work and not developed secretly by a few countries as was the case in Copenhagen,

·         As a  result of this conducive working environment and respect for multilateralism, Cancun produced an agreed outcome.

3.   Outcome of the Conference: “The Cancun Agreements- A New Era of International Cooperation on Climate Change”

·         The “Cancun Agreements” contained in Decision 1 CP 16 (1/CP16) are the main outcomes from COP-16 and COP/MOP 6,

·         It includes the outcome of the work of the Working Group under the Convention (AWGLCA) focusing on the elements of the Bali Action Plan (BAP), namely shared vision for long term cooperative action, adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology and capacity building,

·         The decision also requests the AWG-LCA to continue working in 2011 to carry out the undertakings contained in the decision and also continue discussing legal options with the aim of completing an agreed outcome based on the BAP,

·         The Cancun Agreement also reflects work undertaken by the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto  Protocol (AWGKP),

·         It agrees to continue work under the AWG-KP and have the results adopted “as early as possible” to avoid a gap between the first and second commitment periods,

·         It also notes Annex I parties’ pledges for economy-wide emission reduction targets and urges them to increase their level of ambition,

·         The decision further indicates that emissions trading and the project-based flexibility mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) shall continue to be available, together with measures related to Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF),

4.   Specific Elements of the Cancun Agreements

1.      Parties launched a set of initiatives and institutions to protect the vulnerable from climate change and to deploy the money and technology that developing countries need to plan and build their own sustainable futures,

2.      A total of $30 billion in fast start finance from industrialised countries to support climate action in the developing world up to 2012 and the intention to raise $100 billion in long-term funds by 2020 is included in the decisions,

These resources were initially pledged under the Copenhagen Accord last year but now these have been translated into binding commitments and not mere pledges,

3.      In the field of climate finance, a process to design a Green Climate Fund under the Conference of the Parties, with a board with equal representation from developed and developing countries, is established,

4.       A new Cancún Adaptation Framework is established to allow better planning and implementation of adaptation projects in developing countries through increased financial and technical support, including a clear process for continuing work on loss and damage,

5.      Governments agree to boost action to curb emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries with technological and financial support,

6.      Parties have also established a technology mechanism with a Technology Executive Committee and Climate Technology Centre and Network to increase technology cooperation to support action on adaptation and mitigation.

5.   Zambian Participation in the Conference

·         Zambia participated fully in these negotiations through the thirty three delegates who participated in the Conference,

·         The country hosted a side event on Monday 6^th December 2010 regarding the potential of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) outlining potential sectors and approval procedures, a lot of interest was generated among participants to the event

·         Participated in high level consultations at the Ministerial level and also made a presentation at the World Bank/Africa Development Bank ADB held event discussing the Pilot Programme on Climate Resilience (PPCR),

·         Consultations were also held with the Brazilian delegation on the South to South Cooperation as well as technical discussions with the Finnish delegation at a luncheon,

·         In short, the Cancun Conference was a successful event as it resulted in practical and operational interventions and institutions which are likely to translate into tangible benefits for the country if we position ourselves well to benefit from these mechanisms put in place,

·         However, some more work remains to translate the agreed outcomes into a legally binding instrument and it is our hope that the next Conference this year in Durban, South Africa will help achieve that,

·         I wish to take this opportunity to thank all stakeholders who made it possible for the Zambian delegation to participate fully in this Conference,

·         In particular, I wish to thank the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Norwegian Government and COMESA who supported the participation of some of our negotiators to participate in this important Conference,

·         Lastly, I wish to thank the delegates who exerted themselves diligently and stayed long hours to ensure that the interests of the country were taken into account in any decisions passed.

I thank you for your attention and will now take your questions