Bonn, 31 August 2015: The penultimate climate negotiation sessions start today in Bonn, ahead of Paris’ landmark UN talks in December where the world’s governments are expected to adopt a new legal agreement on climate change.

The Chair of the 48-member Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group at the negotiations, Mr. Giza Gaspar-Martins of Angola said: “Progress in our technical negotiations on the new agreement has been far too slow. Now, there are only ten negotiating days left before the Paris COP. The LDCs believe a strong outcome can be reached this December, but this will require all of us to double efforts and ambition for success during these final months. We stand ready to work with our partners at this critical point of negotiations. ”

The 90-page draft negotiating text agreed to earlier this year (also known as the Geneva text) still forms the basis of negotiations. However, the co-chairs of the body negotiating the Paris agreement has put forward a tool to help navigate the text and guide discussions this week.

All 195 countries Party to the UN climate change convention (UNFCCC) are invited to communicate how they intend to contribute towards stabilising global greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a safe level, and to do so in advance of the Paris COP.

So far only 29 submissions – referred to as ‘intended nationally determined contributions’ (INDCs) – have been made, with 57 Parties represented including the EU member states, the US and China. Independent scientific analyses show that the reductions these INDCs do not represent even a 50-66% chance of not breaching the 2 degree limit in global average temperature increase (let alone 1.5 degree limit, as called for by most vulnerable countries).

Mr. Gaspar-Martins said: “The Group is encouraged that the number of INDCs continues to grow and we congratulate Ethiopia, Benin, Djibouti and the Democratic Republic of Congo for being the first LDCs to submit theirs. Other members of the Group are also in the process of preparing their INDCs. We urge all developed countries and major emitters to put forward their contributions as early as possible, well before the Paris Conference. It is the efforts of these countries which will determine whether or not the world will be able to stay on the path to limiting global average temperature increase below 1.5°C – the defence line that should not be crossed in order to minimise risks associated with climate change impacts in all countries.”

For further comment please contact: ldcchairangola@gmail.com