LDC5 call richer nations for more climate finance, emission cut

Fifth UN conference on LDCs held in Doha

Doha, 9 March (Prerna Bomzan): At a round-table on ‘Addressing climate change and supporting the environment’ held on 7 March during the ongoing Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jorgensen, referred to the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” between developed and developing countries in the fight against climate change,  (a key principle of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

The Minister from Denmark added that all countries have to play their part (in addressing climate change) but this is “differentiated, in the sense that richer developed countries need to contribute more both with regard to financing but also in reducing emissions”.

“We have a situation that is totally unjust”, said Jorgensen further, given that LDCs contribute only 4% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the world but are hardest hit, adding that “even from a moral perspective, this is something we have to remedy”.

Jorgensen stressed on the interlinkage between climate change and development specifically in relation to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), highlighting not only the importance of. mitigation but equally adaptation and loss and damage.

He said that it is “embarrassing” that the promised climate finance of USD 100bn (per year) has not yet been delivered and further underscored the need to come up with a global target on the commitment on doubling of adaptation finance (agreed to in COP 26), as well as the urgent need for finance for the Loss and Damage Fund agreed last year at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. He referred to the upcoming UNFCCC’s COP28 (in November in the UAE) as a “big chance” in this regard which will be conducting the first global stocktake of the achievements under the Paris Agreement.

Jorgensen also laid stress on the necessity for a roadmap to reduce emissions and pointed out the need to phase down all types of fossil fuels in the future.

The high-level roundtable was co-chaired by President Natasa Pirc Musar (Slovenia) and Prime Minister Kausea Natano (Tuvalu).

President Musar in her opening remarks said that her country being a biodiversity hotspot, is “particularly sensitive to the negative consequences of climate change, visible in changing rainfall and general seasonal patterns, resulting in floods, droughts, and wildfires at an unprecedented scale”.

“For Slovenia, climate change is not just a human security issue, but it is also a major international security issue. Not only does it exacerbate the existing security risks in areas with ongoing conflicts, but it also creates new sources of instability and new or increased vulnerabilities. The recent UN Security Council Open debate on the impact of sea-level rise on international peace and security reflected these realities”, she added.

Highlighting the power of and access to science and technology as critical to addressing climate change, Musar said acquiring proper tools requires proper financing and proper financing the reform of the international financial system as we know it”.

Prime Minister Natano (Tuvalu) stated that climate-induced disasters are of “great and grave” importance to LDCs and in particular to his country, posing a challenge to the socio-economic development of LDCs.

“Strong economic growth must be decoupled from emissions and not erode their natural resource base”, he emphasised, pointing out that “above all, support is needed to secure climate financing and preparing adaptation projects and plans for financing”.

He said that the achievement of SDGs is under immense pressure and that there is “no vaccine against climate change and disasters”, which require greater investments in disaster risk reduction and adaptation for LDCs.

While sharing various initiatives that his country is undertaking to address climate change, Natano added that the “global just transition” away from fossil fuels is another initiative led by Tuvalu along with Vanuatu, encouraging countries to publicly support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance.

Following opening remarks by the two Co-Chairs, the keynote address was delivered by the Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (France).

 At the outset, she stated that LDCs are facing “dual injustice” – socio-economic justice as well as climate injustice. Although having not created the climate crisis caused by the “industrial revolution” yet one third of the people affected by climate disasters live in the LDCs. “Mitigation is a duty and imperative for developed countries”, she said.

Zacharopoulou shared that France is responsible for 3 per cent of the cumulative emissions since the 19th century and that they are providing some 10 per cent of the adaptation financing as their “fair share”.

She also referred to the Loss and Damage Fund and the need to implement it, however, underlining that there is no need to start from scratch but with already existing initiatives such as the Climate Shield funded by Germany and France.

Talking about “special opportunities” to LDCs, she said that 60 per cent of solar power potential resides in Africa, citing public-private partnerships between France and the Democratic Republic of Congo in this area, while pointing out crucial resources such as copper in Zambia are necessary for energy transition. “We need to go from assistance to strategic partnerships and investments”, she said in this regard.

She also highlighted that the global financial architecture must be reformed, further adding that “multiple ad-hoc funds” which are created at “every COP” no longer facilitate access to financing but create more procedures and more delays. In relation to this issue, she informed that President Emmanuel Macron would be holding a summit for a new global financial pact on 22 -23 June of this year.

Josefa Leonel Correira Sacko (Angola), African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, shared that in the lead up to COP27 last year, the LDC group developed the Dakar LDC Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change. “This declaration reiterates common and agreed positions of LDCs on a variety of climate related themes including adaptation, loss and damage finance, capacity building needs, and gender”, she said.

Sacko informed that “highlighting the importance of adaptation in LDCs, some countries have joined the global Adaptation Action Coalition, which aims to accelerate action to achieve a climate-resilient world by 2030”.

She emphasised in closing about the challenge to ensure “implementation”, spelling out that “LDCs face constraints in preparing adaptation plans and projects for financing under the established funds, both because of shortage of technical capacity but also because the access conditions are complicated and onerous. Enhanced support is needed to assist the LDCs in preparing bankable projects”, further adding that the new Loss and Damage Fund must be rapidly operationalised “including identifying new, additional, and predictable funding”.

Caroline Gennez (Belgium), the Minister for Development Cooperation of Belgium, highlighted the term “climate justice”, saying that it is a global concept as “it is about justice between the most vulnerable countries and the rest of world” given that the LDCs are not to be blamed for the climate crisis.

“We should be clear about what to call the structural imbalance between those countries that contribute to the climate crisis and those who suffer by far the most because of its consequences. The rest of the world needs to do more”, she stressed adding on the need to do more on all fronts.

With regard to international climate finance, she shared her three priorities – focus on the LDCs in Africa, focus on adaptation and provision of grants as the preferred way of support. Further, she highlighted expanding climate finance, access to finance and loss and damage.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell laid stress on “placing adaptation at the heart of sustainable development” and thus, the need for more national adaptation plans (NAPs) which he said are the basis to mobilise adaptation funding from the developed countries and the private sector, further informing that only 18 out of the 46 LDCs have completed and submitted their NAPs. He also focused on how to get best support for technical assistance to LDCs by using the “power” of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, following its operationalisation at COP27 last year.

Selwin Hart, Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary General for Climate Change, said that there is a need to urgently address “carbon pollution”, which is the root cause of the crisis, and that the 1.5C limit is totally incompatible by the massive fossil fuel expansion. He stressed on the acceleration of renewables and in reducing the cost of capital investments which is a systemic challenge. In this regard, he drew attention to the multilateral development banks to ensure that the LDCs are not left behind in this endeavour.

Hart also highlighted the need to significantly scale up investments in adaptation resilience and loss and damage, simplified access to adaptation and resilience support, the need to address the debt challenge of LDCs and the necessary fiscal space to make the investments urgently needed.

Following remarks by the panellists, the floor was taken by over 20 high-level representatives from LDCs, developing countries and developed countries to share their statements and positions around all key issues of mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and finance.