20 July 2012: The Cartagena Dialogue for Progressive Action (Cartagena Dialogue) met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to discuss key questions ahead of the upcoming informal additional sessions of the Ad Hoc working groups (AWGs) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30 August to 5 September 2012, and the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to be held in Doha, Qatar, at the end of 2012.

The Group, which met from 19-20 July 2012, discussed issues to be addressed by the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA), the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP).

On the ADP, participants addressed, inter alia: how the Bangkok session can be used to kick-start the ADP’s work; expectations on what should COP 18 deliver regarding the new legally-binding agreement; and the elements that should be included the ADP’s organization of work. On finance issues, participants discussed, among other issues: the current status of finance discussions in the climate negotiations; the type of finance discussions Parties foresee beyond COP 18, given the closure of the AWG-LCA; the elements that could be included in a possible decision on finance at COP 18; how to take on board the issue of innovative sources and private finance in the negotiations to provide greater clarity on their potential and role in meeting the common 2020 goal on finance. On carbon markets, questions addressed included how the existing Kyoto markets architecture can best be used to support mitigation actions by countries taking commitments under the Kyoto Protocol’s second commitment period and those taking commitments under the Convention Track.

The Cartagena Dialogue is an informal space, open to countries working towards an ambitious, comprehensive and legally binding regime in the UNFCCC, and who are committed domestically to moving their economies onto a sustainable, low-carbon pathway or avoiding a more carbon-intensive development. Founded in 2010, participating countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Samoa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, the UK and the European Commission. [IISD RS Sources]