Bonn, Germany. 17 November. The international humanitarian and development agency CARE International comments on the closure of the 23nd UN climate change conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.
Many came to Bonn with expectations that COP23 -- the first to be hosted by a small island developing country, Fiji -- would bring stronger action to address the immediate needs of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. However, this was not the case. There is still a window of opportunity, but there is only a few years left to prevent a rise above 1.5oC. We hope that the Talanoa Dialogue launched at COP23 will play an essential role in bringing countries back to next year’s climate summit COP24 with clear plans for increasing ambition.
Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General and CEO of CARE International, said:
“At COP23, political agreements did not sufficiently address the harsh climate reality that millions of poor and vulnerable people already face. CARE welcomes the agreements in areas such as gender and agriculture, as well as the attention to climate impacts. However, as global emissions continue to increase, we need countries to significantly step up their efforts in 2018 to shift away from this dangerous trajectory and to keep within the 1.5oC limit.”
Vitumbiko Chinoko, CARE’s Partnerships and Advocacy Coordinator for Southern Africa, said:
“After years of seeing Parties at the UN Climate Change talks struggle to agree, CARE welcomes the positive outcome in agriculture. We are particularly pleased that Parties will focus on food security and social dynamics and move the agriculture agenda to implementation. Countries in Southern Africa are already acting, and the COP decision is a critical opportunity to help scale up approaches that tackle climate change and increase the resilience of food producers and women.”
Fanny Petitbon, Advocacy Manager of CARE France, said:
“The adoption of the first ever Gender Action Plan under the UNFCCC is a big step in the right direction. Governments have demonstrated their willingness to deliver on the Paris Agreement’s commitment to undertake gender-equitable climate action and enhance women’s contribution to climate decision-making. CARE will closely monitor whether countries will follow through on their commitments and we urge countries to provide finance for the Gender Action Plan activities.”
Sven Harmeling, Global Lead on Climate Change Advocacy for CARE International Climate Change & Resilience Platform, said:
“At COP23, developed countries stood in the way of agreeing to start serious work on innovative instruments, such as taxing carbon polluters, which would generate additional resources to deal with loss and damage. Due to this inaction, pressure on rich countries is building up: they must address the issue of loss and damage finance and raise support for preventive adaptation measures. We expect the one-day climate summit on 12th December in Paris to address the missed opportunity in Bonn.”
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Note to editors: From 6-17 November, governments met in Bonn, Germany, for the 234d UN Climate Change Conference (COP23). CARE was present with a diverse, international delegation. Full details on CARE’s policy demands can be found in the position paper for COP23. Full details on CARE’s work at COP23 found here.
CARE International is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty and delivering lifesaving assistance in emergencies. In more than 90 countries around the world, CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women to equip them with the proper resources to lift their families and communities out of poverty. To learn more about CARE International’s work on climate change, please visit: www.careclimatechange.org