High-level Segment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 19/CMP 9

Statement by Nepal on behalf of the Least Developed Countries Group

Warsaw, Poland

Mr. President,
Your Excellency, Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland,
Your Excellency, Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania,
Your Excellency, Dr. John Ashe, President of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly,
Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Nepal has the honour to make this statement on behalf of the Group of 49 Least Developed Countries, spread over three continents and comprising nearly a billion people, including the weakest and the most vulnerable, having to bear the most disproportionate and existential threats of climate change.

I would like to associate my statement with the statement made by the Honourable Minister of Fiji on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Mr. President, I wish to begin by congratulating you on your assumption of the Presidency of the UNFCCC COP19/CMP9 and assuring you of our support to your important task of achieving meaningful outcome in Warsaw. I also take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the Government of Poland for the warm hospitality extended to all our delegates.

Mr. President, science is absolutely clear, now more than ever. The human-induced climate change has increased global temperature provoking heat extremes, lowering precipitation and causing higher aridity. It has melted glaciers, raised sea levels, and brought about more extreme and erratic weather events. The IPCC and other scientific data warn that there may be worse ahead if we do not act now the way we should.

Even while meeting here this month, we witnessed the excruciating impacts of the Typhoon Haiyan. We deeply sympathize with the people of the Philippines and other countries impacted by this typhoon. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of this and several other tragedies happening around the world every day.

Extensive and increasing effects of climate change are not new to LDCs. Fifty one per cent of the deaths caused by climate-related disasters in the 33 years between 1980 and 2013 occurred in the LDCs, nearly five times the global average. During the last three years, this figure rose to 67 per cent, more than 5 times the global average.

Climate change poses a real and costly threat to the very existence of our societies, countries and peoples. We pay for climate change in lives. Worse, it exacerbates the development challenges that the LDCs are already facing.

Mr. President, despite these difficulties, the LDCs have stood up and taken significant actions to combat climate change in line with the UNFCCC.

Forty-eight LDCs have submitted NAPAs. Some of us have also started formulating our medium- and long-term adaptation plans, thanks to the development partners that have contributed to the LDC Fund. However, the finance provided so far by developed partners is extremely insufficient even to address our urgent and immediate adaptation needs. We have done our part and we urge developed nations to meet their financial commitments, and show leadership.

Likewise, twelve LDCs have voluntarily submitted NAMAs, going above and beyond their responsibilities and capacities. Our countries have also started ratifying the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Nine LDCs have started formulating low carbon development strategies. As you can see, we suffer, but we pull ourselves together. We believe this is the way forward to address climate change: collective action and contributions even beyond the legal requirements.

Mr. President, during this second week of negotiations, we urge all Parties to agree on clear roadmaps with timelines and deliverables on three key issues.

First, finance. We need to develop a credible pathway for climate finance to reach the 100 billion USD goal set for 2020. This pathway must include clear arrangements to reach 60 billion USD by 2016, and allocate 50 per cent for adaptation. Detailed monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system of the financial support must be defined, and the scale and share between public and private sources of finance clarified.

Second, the 2015 Agreement. We must agree on a decision that maps out our plans to negotiate a new protocol applicable to all Parties with clear timelines, milestones and deliverables to complete the work of the ADP by 2015, and ensure that the Protocol is implemented from 2020.

Third, mitigation ambition. We must reach a decision on a workplan with clear timelines and deliverables to raise pre-2020 mitigation ambition, with a view to ensure the highest possible mitigation efforts by all Parties.

It is of utmost importance that we set up, right here in Warsaw, an international mechanism on loss and damage associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Mr. President, we urge all Parties to engage with us in these steps and reach agreement on concrete outcomes here in Warsaw. There is no “tomorrow” if we don’t take the necessary actions “today”.

There can be no “tomorrow” for finance, since we need urgent support to develop the resilience to adapt before more damages occur.

There can be no “tomorrow” for closing the emissions gap, since science shows that without urgent action it will not be possible to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal.

There can be no “tomorrow” for the new climate agreement, because the Convention and the decisions taken so far require us to agree on a text by 2015.

And there can be no “tomorrow” for a decision on loss and damage, since lives and livelihoods are at stake.

To conclude, since procrastination can not be the right answer to face the menace of climate change, we urge you, Mr. President, to lead us towards the decisions we must take today, not tomorrow, in the interest of the planet we all so dearly care for.

Thank you.

Statement delivered by His Excellency Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, New York