Fortieth session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 40)

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

Bonn, Germany

Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates, Nepal has the honour to speak on behalf of the LDC Group. I would like to associate myself with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of G77 and China, Nauru on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States and the statement to be made by Sudan on behalf of the Africa Group.

Mr. Chair, for the LDCs, adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change is critical. The provision of adequate and predictable support to “formulate and implement national adaptation plans” will be key to protect lives and livelihoods in the LDCs. We look forward to a decision on “Implementation of NAPs” at COP20. But, there is still a lot of work to be done in Lima.

We also look forward to the information paper to be prepared by the LEG and Adaptation Committee, which we expect will increase the understanding of the “gaps and needs” of LDCs in implementing NAPs. We also look forward to the NAP Expo to be held in August this year and we call for support for adequate participation of LDCs at this important event.

Mr. Chair, we were very hopeful that we would progress on consideration of the composition of, and procedures for, the executive committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. However, the slow progress on this issue has put us in a difficult situation. We look forward to finalizing this issue in Lima.

The LDC Group is greatly concerned by the lack of sustainable, predictable, and adequate resources in the Adaptation Fund, which was designed to support concrete adaptation actions of vulnerable developing countries. The LDCs look forward to the SBI completing its consideration of the second review of the Adaptation Fund in Lima, with a view to adopting a decision on this matter at CMP10.

We expect the second review of the Fund to consider, among others, potential diversification of revenue streams, how to enhance direct access modalities, institutional linkages and relations between the Fund and other institutions, as appropriate.

Mr. Chair, the LDC Group welcomes the SBI’s request to LEG to engage and collaborate with other bodies under the Convention, and expands its efforts on issues on support to the LDCs.

We also would like to express our gratitude to all Parties for their support to LDCF and urge for further contributions to the Fund.

We call for scaled up finance to address capacity gaps in LDCs, and assist us on the quality of reporting in terms of the implementation of the Convention. There are many unresolved issues, including institutional arrangements and support on capacity building. These need to be resolved in Lima.

Mr. Chair, the second dialogue on Article 6 of the Convention that was held during this session was very helpful in sharing experiences, and exchanging ideas, good practices and lessons learned. We also welcome the development of the Terms of Reference for the midterm review of the Doha Work Programme on Article 6 of the Convention.

Mr. Chair, the LDC Group welcomes the conclusions on the Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology and the joint report of TEC and CTCN. We look forward to a decision in Lima following up these conclusions to help developing countries, and particularly the LDCs, to address technology needs and resolve barriers to access.

The LDC Group considers that the centrality of science in the UNFCCC process, including for discussions under the ADP, to be of paramount importance. The Group understands that as recognised in decision 1/CP17, paragraph 6, it is important for the ADP to be informed by the outcomes of the 2013-15 review as a means to raise the level of ambition.

The LDC Group attaches great value to the contributions made by the representatives of the IPCC at the Structured Expert Dialogue and encourages the IPCC and other organisations to continue to support the future work of the joint SBI-SBSTA contact group. The LDC Group re-emphasizes the importance of considering evidence from non-IPCC sources, including relevant scientific inputs released after the literature cut-off date of the IPCC, which would provide additional information on areas and regions that may not have been adequately covered.

With regard to the Arrangement for Intergovernmental Meetings, the LDC Group emphasizes the importance of full participation of all Parties and observers. We believe that the observers add great value and provide significant contributions in advancing the process. In this context, we welcome that the Secretariat will reconsider its position on cost recovery for side events.

Our Group looks forward to receiving, at the 41st session of SBI, the documents to be prepared by the Secretariat relating to the frequency and organisation of future sessions of the COP, CMP and subsidiary bodies, as well as the timing of the election of future Presidents, including options for smooth transition between presidencies.

We further welcome the due recognition accorded by the SBI to the importance of effective time management practices at all sessions.

We thank you, Mr. Chair, for the work you conducted during this session and look forward to working closely with you in the next session.

Thank you.