In his op-ed, de Boer urges examining the reasons for failing to generate trust among Parties as the process gets underway to take stock of the Paris Agreement and the adequacy of commitments.
He underscores that the two recurring themes of countries making their actions conditional on the provision of support, and implementation of climate action losing momentum due to the perception that rich countries have not fulfilled their obligations make it more and more difficult to get the process “back on track”.
De Boer suggests whole-of-government solutions that fulfill multiple agendas, while noting inherent difficulties with such approaches given that many ministries still operate “in silos”.
6 September 2018: Former UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer has penned an op-ed stressing that Heads of State must intervene to ensure a successful outcome at the Katowice Climate Change Conference, where the implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement are expected to be adopted. He stresses that trust among Parties can only be restored at the highest political level.
De Boer, who led the UNFCCC through difficult negotiations at the Bali and Copenhagen Climate Change Conferences in 2007 and 2009, respectively, among others, writes that every international climate agreement has successfully struck an “incredibly delicate balance” between divergent views and interests of a range of state and non-state actors. He cites, in particular, the UNFCCC itself, the Kyoto Protocol, the Bali Action Plan and the Paris Agreement as successes.
Central to such balance, he argues, are: the concept of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC); and the principles enshrined in Convention Article 4, which lays out the responsibility of rich countries to help poorer countries with finance, technology and capacity building. Noting that these principles are a precondition for action, he highlights that failure to deliver on them is viewed as a “broken promise” that releases countries from the obligation to act beyond self-interest.
Every international climate agreement has successfully struck an “incredibly delicate balance” between divergent views and interests.
De Boer underscores that two recurring themes in climate negotiations are: countries making their actions conditional on the provision of support, and implementation of climate action losing momentum due to the perception that rich countries have not fulfilled their obligations. Recurrence of these themes, he says, makes it more and more difficult to get the process “back on track.”
De Boer urges examining the reasons for failing to generate trust among Parties as the process gets underway to take stock of the Paris Agreement and the adequacy of commitments. He suggests whole-of-government solutions that fulfill multiple agendas, while noting inherent difficulties with such approaches given that many ministries still operate “in silos,” and highlighting challenges associated with asking countries that have prioritized poverty eradication to embrace a low emissions future. He stresses the need for systemic change and decarbonizing accelerated growth, not just reducing emissions.
De Boer also cites as challenges “fierce” competition for climate finance and official development assistance (ODA), “carved-up” international institutional landscapes, and difficulties countries face in seeking support for implementation of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). On the UN’s role in helping to build trust, he suggests that:
Yvo de Boer served as UNFCCC Executive Secretary from 2006-2010. [Climate Home News Op-ed by Yvo de Boer]