Fourth part of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP 2-4),

Closing statement by Nepal on behalf of the Least Developed Countries Group

Bonn, Germany

I have the privilege to speak on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries. We align ourselves with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the Group of G77 and China.

Co-Chairs, let me first highlight four elements we heard repeatedly this week:

• We need to act urgently;
• Our common goal should always remain achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention;
• Through our work, we must collectively achieve a temperature goal that will avoid future catastrophic impacts; and
• Success in this process cannot be achieved without what is currently lacking, i.e. leadership and proactive engagement by all Parties.

Co-Chairs, the LDC Group believes that the key elements of the Warsaw outcome on ADP Workstream 1 provide the basis for clear actions in 2014. These include:

• The urgent call to accelerate the development of the 2015 Agreement, in particular through further elaboration of the elements for a draft negotiating text for consideration in Lima;
• The call for collective initiation or intensification of national preparations;
• The decision to initiate discussion on information that Parties need to put forward to enable all Parties to understand what they intend to contribute as their future commitments under the 2015 Agreement, and possibilities such a modality would offer for the upfront analysis of Parties’ future commitments.

Co-Chairs, we had long discussions on nationally determined contributions. The LDCs believe that intended NDCs should form the first step toward the mitigation component of the 2015 Agreement for the enhancement of the implementation of the Convention. The development of nationally determined contributions should guide us in inscribing mitigation commitments in the 2015 Agreement.

We call for developed country Parties to provide all necessary support and incentives to developing country Parties to ensure they are all engaged in the national exercise to assess what could be their efforts toward achievement of the objective of the Convention, and to provide their contributions in a quantifiable and comparable manner.

Co Chairs, adaptation should be supported in an effective manner taking into account the level of emissions reduction expected to be achieved through the implementation of the 2015 Agreement and associated level of temperature rise projected.

The 2015 Agreement should ensure comparability of efforts among developed country Parties and include provisions to ensure that they undertake their commitments in a measureable, reportable and verifiable manner, so that such contributions can be assessed by international review processes. Also, an effective compliance system should be incorporated within the 2015 Agreement.

The mechanisms put in place need to be designed and made operational is such a way that they produce real, verifiable, and additional emission reductions, ensure environmental integrity and are subject to international verification and oversight.

The 2015 Agreement will not succeed without adequately addressing the necessary means of implementation to be able to address the mitigation and adaptation obligations of all Parties. Means of implementation should include finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building to support effective and strong global climate actions while allowing developing countries to engage in climate resilient development. Clear rules should be put in place to ensure timely reporting and effective accounting of both actions and support provided.

Co Chairs, on Workstream 2, we are concerned about the seeming lack of enthusiasm from many Parties to increase short-term ambition, a prerequisite to effectively tackle climate change. It is absolutely vital that mitigation action is increased in the pre-2020 period under the ADP’s Workstream 2, to enable the commitments and actions of Parties in the new Agreement to be consistent with the goal of keeping global average temperatures below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Moving forward, we need more reassurance on how Parties are going to increase their ambition to meet this goal.

We are glad that we have reached a common understanding on how we should move into a more formal mode of work that will allow us to make progress. We believe that a single transparent space, with all Parties present, will continue to be helpful to smaller delegations as well as all other Parties.

Co-Chairs, on behalf of the LDC Group, I would like to thank you for your leadership in trying to make this process inclusive, transparent, efficient and effective.

We support the comments made by Sudan on behalf of the African Group regarding the logistic arrangements for the future sessions.

Without decisive and urgent action, the survival of nearly 1 billion people is at stake. For the LDCs the question at hand is their very survival. Let us all understand this primary fact to help us act together. Let us be ambitious!

Thank you.