Opening of the 43rd Meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 43)

Statement by the Republic of Angola on behalf of the Least Developed Countries Group

1 December 2015, Paris, France

Mr. Chair, Distinguished Delegates, Angola has the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries. We associate our statement with the statement made by South Africa on behalf of the G77 and China, Sudan on behalf of the African Group, and Maldives on behalf of AOSIS.

Regarding work under the SBI here in Paris, we have all noted the severe lack of time.  In this regard, we welcome your proposal on the way to conduct our work with the grouping of the agenda items into three categories.

Let me assure you, Mr. Chair, that you have the full support of the LDC Group in working towards an early conclusion of the items under the SBI.

Mr. Chair, the findings of the structured expert dialogue on the 2013-2015 review underscores that significant climate impacts are already occurring at the current level of global warming and that additional magnitudes of warming will only increase the risk of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts.

The outcome of the SED report is a clear call to strengthen the long-term global goal to 1.5°C for the purpose of the ADP agreement.  We are prepared to work hard with our colleagues in the joint contact group to conclude our work on the 2013-2015 review and ensure a substantial outcome.

Mr. Chair, even as the impacts of climate change are already affecting the most vulnerable countries with a 0.85 degree warming, we are seeing only marginal progress in the process to support adaptation for those who had little to do with causing climate change.  Since our last session in Bonn, where we took stock of progress in the process to formulate and implement National Adaptation Plans, we have had one LDC (Burkina Faso) communicate that they have completed a National Adaptation Plan. This is a total of ‘one’ NAP that has been completed since the process was launched at COP 16 five years ago.

We look forward to the resumption of work from SBI 42 on this item and the forwarding of a decision to COP that will ensure further support to help the LDCs expedite the formulation of NAPs and their subsequent implementation.

Mr. Chair, regarding matters related to the LDCs, the LDC Group recalls Article 4.9 of the Convention which commits us all to take full account of the special circumstances of the LDCs. The LDC category was established in recognition of the unique structural handicaps to development faced by our countries including low income and human development, high economic vulnerability, and weak human and institutional capacities among other things.

The LDCs are all pursuing sustainable development to improve the lives and wellbeing of our peoples and reduce the factors that place us in this category.  While many LDCs continue to make progress in this regard, we face the risk of backtracking in the gains we have made to sustainably develop due to the adverse impacts of climate change.  The LDCs need the full support and recognition defined under Article 4.9.  We look forward to the full recognition of the special circumstances of the LDCs and the smooth transition of graduating LDCs with regard to support for adaptation and finance, so as not to jeopardise the hard gains in development made by the group of countries least responsible for climate change.

Mr. Chair, we welcome the work of the LEG, its report and the successful conclusion of its current mandate.  We thank all the experts in the LEG and the support provided to the work of the LEG by donors, UN agencies, multilateral and regional organisations and the Secretariat.  We welcome the extension of the mandate of the LDC Expert Group for the next five years and the expansion of its mandate to include technical guidance and advice for medium to long term adaptation.  The work of the LEG has always been valuable to the LDC Group and we look forward to continued support from the Secretariat, Parties and others for the work of this group.

Mr. Chair, we wish to thank the Adaptation Committee for their report and also for the work that they have undertaken in 2015. In particular, we take note of the Golden 2015 Deanville Award the Adaptation Committee won in recognition of the documentary on adapting to a changing climate. We noted the seven broad recommendations that they have proposed and do not have major difficulties with them.

We do wish to seek some clarification from the Chair of the Adaptation Committee on one aspect of the proposed work-plan. We note that the committee plans to use the private sector in supporting countries in the formulation and implementation of their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Our understanding is that the NAP is a country driven process, and that the private sector is largely profit driven.  We would want more clarity on how the Adaptation Committee envisages the private sector to support countries in preparing and implementing their NAPs without imposing financial burdens on them.

Mr. Chair, we welcome the report of the WIM Excom and appreciation the great effort of the ExCom members in conducting their first meeting.   As recommended by the report, financial support is urgently required for the full implementation of the two year work plan. In this regards, we urge all developed country Parties to provide financial support in order to facilitate a full implementation of the plan before the review that will take place in 2016.

Mr. Chair, the Group welcomes funds totaling US $248 million pledged yesterday into the only dedicated climate fund channeling money to adaptation projects for the world’s poorest nations: the Least Developed Countries Fund. We express our sincere thanks to our partners for their contributions. The LDCs can now continue to implement urgent and immediate adaptation needs that had been in the pipeline of the GEF and also now finally start the formulation of National Adaptation Plans.

Mr. Chair, we welcome the joint report of the TEC and CTCN and also the TEC guidance on the results of TNA. The early and urgent implementation of TNA outcomes is tremendously important because the technology action plans (TAPs) and Project Ideas identified will accelerate the adaptation in the LDCs.  Of the 48 LDCs, 24 have completed TNAs.  Given the special conditions and needs of the LDCs, delaying implementation will render our TNAs and TAPs obsolete in light of changing priorities and evolving technologies.  To date implementation of TNA has been limited to small pilot projects.

We also welcome the GEF report and the TEC evaluation of the Poznan Strategic Programme (PSP).  We appreciate that the PSP has contributed to raising the profile of technology development and transfer, and its role in achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention. It is important that we harness the linkages between the technology mechanism and the financial mechanism, in particular the role of the GCF, in the future.

Mr. Chair, the LDC Group welcomes the report of the Secretariat on the session workshop on gender responsive climate policy with a focus on mitigation and technology development and transfer held during SBI 43, which offered a platform for sharing views on how to move forward in attaining gender responsive climate policies.  We look forward at this 43rd session to the consideration of the recommendations from this workshop, particularly the glossary of terms on gender and climate change as these will enhance a common understanding of gender issues.  We also welcome the report on gender composition, and observe with concern that women continue to be underrepresented in bodies under the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol.

Mr. Chair, we look forward to engaging with all Parties to conclude the unfinished but important work of the SBI at the earliest opportunity given the limited amount of time we have here in Paris.

Thank you.