30 March 2010: The UNFCCC has published the reports of the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) (FCCC/CP/2009/11 and FCCC/CP/2009/11/Add.1) and the reports of the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (COP/MOP 5)(FCCC/KP/CMP/2009/21 and FCCC/KP/CMP/2009/21/Add.1), which were held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7-19 December 2009.
The reports detail the outcomes of the meetings, and consist of two parts: Part One comprises procedural matters and Part Two consists of action and decisions taken by the relevant body. The COP 15 report contains. inter alia, the text of the Copenhagen Accord, which parties took note of, and lists 112 parties (111 countries and the EU) that have indicated their support for the Accord.
A UNFCCC press release indicates that 75 submissions of national pledges to cut or limit emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020 have been received from parties. These parties account for more than 80% of global emissions from energy use. Forty-one industrialized countries have formally communicated their economy-wide targets to the UNFCCC. Thirty-five developing countries have communicated information on the nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) they are planning to take, provided they receive the appropriate support in terms of finance and technology.
In the press release, Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, states that, while the pledges constitute an important step towards the objective of limiting growth of emissions, they will not suffice to limit warming to below two degrees Celsius. He adds that COP 16, to be held in Mexico at the end of the year, needs to put in place effective cooperative mechanisms capable of bringing about significant acceleration of national, regional and international actions both to limit the growth of emissions and to prepare for the inevitable impacts of climate change. De Boer also underlines that the Accord can be used to help advance the formal negotiations towards a successful outcome in Mexico. [COP 15 and COP/MOP 5 Meeting Reports] [UNFCCC Press Release]