May climate change session ends in Bonn, Germany

Accra, May, 20- GNA - The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) May conference ended in Bonn with Mr Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji who is the in-coming president of COP23, presenting his political vision for the November Summit.

A statement issued in Bonn and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, outlined the vision to include, forging "a grand coalition to accelerate climate action before 2020 and beyond between civil society, the scientific community, the private sector and all levels of government, including cities and regions.

The statement said other priorities identified in the vision were; building greater resilience for all vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and rising sea levels, boosting access to climate adaptation finance, renewable energy, clean water and affordable climate risk and disaster insurance and to promote sustainable agriculture.

The vision included harnessing innovation, enterprise and investment, to fast track the development and deployment of climate solutions that would build future economies with net zero greenhouse gas emissions, in an effort to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

It also identified a stronger link between the health of the world's oceans and seas and the impacts of, and solutions to, climate change as part of a holistic approach to the protection of our planet.

Mr Bainimarama said '' we are all vulnerable and we all need to act," he told delegates from over 140 governments attending the two-week session.''

Ms Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC said during the May sessions, governments made progress towards the Paris Agreement's implementation as it related to guidelines across a wide range of issues including transparency, adaptation, emission reductions, provision of finance, capacity-building and technology.

She said 'These guidelines are essential for making the Paris Agreement fully operational and to ensure its central role in global climate action over the years and decades to come. The progress achieved here made it clear that nations were keen to make the agreement ready and fit for purpose by 2018.'

Ms Espinosa said nations would hold several round-table meetings ahead of COP23 in Bonn to speed up work, adding that, during the May session, 17 developed and 10 developing countries presented their mitigation actions to date as part of greater transparency-building among Parties.

Countries also agreed on a recommendation of close to 57 million Euros for the 2018-2019 budget of the UN climate change secretariat as a submission to COP23, she added.

The Executive Secretary said, nations agreed to expand the opportunities for the exchange of ideas between governments and non-party stakeholders in the climate process including those representing vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples and women.

Over 140 countries attended the two week session.
GNA

By Josephine Naaeke, GNA