Kiribati urges for say Cancun climate outcomes.
CANCUN - Kiribati has had a demanding year as the small island nation strengthens its stance at the climate change negotiations. There is a 13 strong delegation that will be in attendance at the UN Climate conference in Cancun, Mexico, led by President Anote Tong.
In November this year the Tarawa Climate Change Conference which brought together 18 Small Island Developing States from the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand, resulted in the Ambo Declaration (please read below/attached). It is hoped that the Small Islands developing States will take on essential parts of the Ambo declaration to be negotiated for in Cancun.
“What Kiribati would really like to see from the conference here in Cancun would be that at least some of the more important elements of the declaration itself can be taken on board with that at least with the negotiations,” said Andrew Teem, the Senior Policy Adviser for the Office of the President in Kiribati.
“It would be ideal if these could be reflected in the decisions that come out of Cancun.”
As with other Pacific island nations that engage in the climate change negotiations, the issues of ‘adaptation’ and ‘financing’ are significant concerns for Kiribati. The expectations for a solid agreement at this Cancun climate conference are being downplayed however for Kiribati they are still hopeful for some positive outcomes as are other members in the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS). Teem states they have to be realistic in the expectations from this meeting and should focus on the issues that can lead to solid decisions at a later date.
“The reality of the situation at the moment is that it will not be possible within the next two weeks to come up with something solid which is better than an agreement that would mean nothing later on. We need to work to make sure the decisions that come out of Cancun will need to reflect the same concerns that we have been advocating over the past few years.”
The UNFCCC COP 16 is held in Cancun from 29 November to 11 December.