20 November 2018: Ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) have issued a joint statement ahead of the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December 2018, emphasizing that global climate action “should promote climate justice and a just transition” by recognizing the equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.

The statement, issued at the conclusion of the 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change, which convened in New Delhi, India, from 19-20 November 2018, also underscores that, inter alia:

• all elements of the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP), expected to be adopted in Katowice, must operationalize the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), in light of different national circumstances;
• the PAWP outcome should support enhanced ambition without backsliding on the rules-based system;
• developed countries must provide adequate and predictable means of implementation to developing countries;
• successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) must show progression;
• current work on guidance in relation to the mitigation components of NDCs must respect the nationally determined nature of Parties’ contributions and should not impose onerous requirements on developing countries; and
• the PAWP should provide guidance on both ex ante and ex post adaptation information in adaptation communications and biennial transparency reports, respectively.

On climate finance, ministers urge developed countries to: fulfill their climate finance commitments of mobilizing US$100 billion per year by 2020; scale up their financial support; finalize a new collective finance goal; and scale up resources pledged to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries. Ministers stress that the development of technical expert review guidelines to ensure robust reported information on the provision of support will help build trust among Parties.

The statement further emphasizes that: guidance under the enhanced transparency framework must address not only mitigation, but also adaptation, including loss and damage, and support; and flexibility must be built into the modalities, procedures and guidelines (MPGs) for developing countries.

The BASIC ministers state that the global stocktake (GST) process should consider mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation, loss and damage and response measures, and reflect equity. They call on developed countries to take urgent actions to close the pre-2020 implementation gap by 2023, which would provide input for the GST. [Joint Statement Issued at the 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on African Group’s Expectations for COP 24] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on LDC’s Priorities for COP 24] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on EU Position on Climate Finance Ahead of COP 24] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on AOSIS Chair Urging Increased Focus on Loss and Damage]