The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Ministerial Conference on Climate Change held in Safranbolu, Turkey, concluded with the adoption of the 'Safranbolu Declaration on Enhancing Regional pre-COP 21 Ambition on Climate Change,' including a resolution from its ten member States to deliver their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) towards a “fair, flexible, durable and inclusive legally-binding post-2020 climate agreement” at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC in Paris, France, in December 2015.
27 March 2015: The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Ministerial Conference on Climate Change, which convened in Safranbolu, Turkey, concluded with the adoption of the ‘Safranbolu Declaration on Enhancing Regional pre-COP 21 Ambition on Climate Change,’ including a resolution from its ten member States to deliver their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) towards a “fair, flexible, durable and inclusive legally-binding post-2020 climate agreement” at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC in Paris, France, in December 2015.
In their statements, members of the ECO, which comprises Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, highlighted that, in their countries, climate change has led to extreme poverty, financial crises, water scarcity, droughts, floods, changes in coastal and terrestrial ecosystems, forests degradation, sea level rise and health issues.
In the Safranbolu Declaration, member States, among others, agree to: contribute to the success of the climate change negotiations throughout 2015; resolve to communicate their INDCs based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC), in light of different national circumstances; and consider incorporating the adaptation component in their INDCs. They also underline that the new agreement should be facilitative to shifting to low-emission development strategies, and emphasize that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is expected to become the main post-2015 multilateral financing mechanism.
The Conference took place on 27 March 2015. ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. It membership currently includes Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. [UNFCCC Press Release] [Safranbolu Declaration on Enhancing Regional pre-COP 21 Ambition on Climate Change] [ECO Website]