21 June 2018: The Marshall Islands and 22 other countries have issued a Declaration for Ambition, declaring their commitment to look at possibilities for raising their own ambition by 2020, and to “lead from the front” in galvanizing political momentum for others countries to follow suit.

In the declaration, the signatories call on the UN Secretary-General to focus his September 2019 Climate Summit on: the need for countries to set long-term low-emission development strategies, including pathways consistent with the Paris Agreement on climate change, to reach net zero emissions; mobilization of support and investment to support implementation and increased ambition; and the potential for delivering enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020.

President of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, pledged that her country will finish its 2050 strategy by the end of the year.

The Summit, according to the President of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, represents the most significant political opportunity to step up ambition and encourage countries to put new emission reduction targets on the table. Hilde also pledged that her country will finish its 2050 strategy by the end of the year.

The declaration also emphasizes the importance of the Talanoa Dialogue and agreeing to stringent rules for implementing the Paris Agreement at the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the UNFCCC in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.

The declaration was issued during a week of ministerial meetings on climate change in Europe that included the Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA) and the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. Thus far, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Spain, Sweden and the UK have signed the declaration, which remains open for signature. [Declaration for Ambition]