25 February 2010: The Heads of State and government of Latin American and Caribbean countries gathered at the Unity Summit, comprising the 21st Summit of the Rio Group and the second Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development. Leaders at the event, which took place in Riviera Maya, Mexico, on 23 February 2010, discussed, among other things, prospects for the climate change negotiations.
In the resulting Summit Declaration, the Heads of State and government underline that the fight against climate change includes: sustainable environmental management of forests and other key ecosystems such as wetlands; energy efficiency and the development of new, renewable energy sources; the transformation of transport systems; and scientific and technological innovation. They further note that this fight can only be sustainable if implemented in a socially and environmentally responsible way by respecting peoples and communities’ rights.
In a section specifically devoted to climate change, the Heads of State and government stress their commitment to the full, effective and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol in a global effort on the basis of the principle of shared but differentiated responsibilities, the respective national capacities and the legitimate aspirations of developing countries.
They further commit to promote a predictable, transparent, effective financial mechanism under the UNFCCC that will ensure the proper supply of new, additional, sufficient international financial flows to support the mitigation and adaptation efforts of Latin American and Caribbean countries in keeping with the Convention.
In addition, the Heads of State and government stress the need for developed countries to meet their commitments under the UNFCCC on financing of, access to, and transfer of technology and the creation of sufficient capacities in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly the less developed, small island developing and low-lying coastal States, for mitigation and adaptation.
They also express support to Mexico as the host of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UNFCCC so that, through transparent and inclusive negotiations, it will result in a broad, ambitious, effective agreement that will meet the challenges and needs of Latin America and the Caribbean and result in the strengthening of the international regime established by the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. They further agree that the COP 16 results must be legally binding as a decisive step in the fight against climate change. [The Declaration]