Caption:L – R Mr. Mahendra Kumar, Mr. Luke Daunivalu of Fiji at the opening of COP 20.Photo:SUPPLIED.
1 December 2014, Lima, Peru – Fiji is hopeful that the UN Climate Convention will produce promising results, decisions that can be easily implemented allowing countries to work together to resolve climate change.
“From our perspective we believe that the COP 20 here in Lima signals not just a fresh approach to addressing the negative effects in climate change,” said Mr. Luke Daunivalu, Deputy Secretary, Policy, Foreign Affairs, Government of Fiji
“It is being set in the context of heightened urgency that has been brought on by the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental panel on climate change.”
Calls for action were delivered at the opening of the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change hosted in Lima, Peru this year.
What is needed is enhancement of the delivery of finance, in particular to the most vulnerable as well stimulation of ever-increasing action on the part of all stakeholders to scale up the scope and accelerate the solutions that move the global community all forward, faster towards a new global climate change agreement.
To achieve strong outcomes at this convention, inspiration is being called upon from the culture and traditions of Peru.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Ms. Christiana Figueres referred to the famous Nazca lines of Peru, etched into the soil by Peru’s indigenous Nazca people many centuries ago. These lines depict symbols of Nazca mythology, and include the monkey, the hummingbird and the condor.
Drawing parallels to the hard work delegates need to achieve positive outcomes and ramp up immediate climate action at the COP 20 she said:
“We must emulate the hard work it took to etch these lines into the soil, embody the tenacity of those who carved them, and create global climate and development agendas with the durability of this ancient art form.”
The call for urgent action is an echo of calls made at the UN Climate convention last year in Warsaw and the year before that in Doha. In Lima this year, the message for urgent action to collective reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change was strengthened by the words from the Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Professor Rajendra Pachauri.
“The window for action to achieve a 2 degree stabilisation is rapidly closing,” he announced at the opening as he reminded the international community that unchecked climate change would lead to irreversible consequences.
With strong messages such as these, as well as the performance of drums, music and dance from Peru at the opening of the COP, the delegation of Fiji look forward to the conference bringing the world closer to positive outcomes as the world makes its way forward to a new global climate change agreement by the end of next year.
“The IPCC report has set the context for how parties have to engage in these negotiations so we are of the view that it’s a fresh new impetus by parties coming in to these negotiations that’s informed mainly by the science backing up what has been all along emphasised and reiterated in various statements,” said Mr.Daunivalu, Deputy Secretary, Policy, Foreign Affairs, Government of Fiji
“We are very hopeful that this COP will produce promising results.” – UNFCCCNewsRelease/SPREP
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