The first Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled to be held in the Amazon region, COP30, begins on Monday in Belém after a weekend in which negotiators from several countries, including Brazil, tried to resolve differences over the formal agenda for the meeting, which will end, in principle, on 21 November. In what negotiators call the “Battle of the Agenda” (Fight for the Agenda, free translation), and is repeated every year, there are six items that require the maximum effort from the negotiators, Ambassador Liliam Chagas, Director of the State Department’s Climate Department (MRE) and the country’s chief negotiator in international climate change negotiations, commented to Globo.
– The game is for each group to try to give a link to the topic that interests them most – explains Chagas.
In addition to the Ambassador, senior authorities in the Brazilian COP Presidency, including the President of the 30th session of the COP, Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, spent the weekend in meetings seeking to reach a consensus that would allow the official agenda of the event to be finalized. If all goes well, the agenda will be officially approved on Monday.
Starting without a formal, consensual agenda would not be good news for the Brazilian presidency, but in a conversation with Brazilian and foreign journalists on Sunday, Correa do Lago and COP30 executive director Ana Toni said conflict over the agenda is “a legitimate way for countries to show their concerns.”
– Think, for example, about how Parliament works, there are rules that must be followed – said Correa do Lago, trying not to dramatize the situation.
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In recent weeks, four more items were added, which emerged without consensus at the Bonn Conference in Germany, the annual UN meeting that serves as a precursor to the COP. The topics on which no consensus was reached at the Bonn meeting were the item presented by like-minded developing countries, regarding Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement (which states that developed countries should provide financial resources to support developing countries, whether in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions or adapting to the effects of climate change) and unilateral trade measures.
-These two points come from June. Since then, other types have emerged, Chagas points out.
Three of the four new points on which no consensus had been reached as of Sunday were a proposal from African countries on forest financing. Small Islands requested inclusion of a response to the synthesis report on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs, which are commitments each country makes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions); The European Union has put forward a proposal on how to react to transparency reports, whereby countries report their emissions.
In this scenario, if there is no consensus, the COP could start without a formal agenda, and wait for obstacles to be overcome to open the agenda when possible.
— The heads of state gave a very positive and important signal — highlights the Brazilian chief negotiator.
Without the presence of the United States and allied countries, such as Argentina, led by Javier Miley, the 30th session of the COP will begin with many challenges and the desire of the Brazilian presidency to make progress in implementing the agreements already reached.
– We want to determine what is hindering implementation. Are these financial or regulatory issues? Implementation is key to this COP – stresses Tony.
Negotiation remains a fundamental pillar of the climate agreement, but the Brazilian presidency intends to pay much attention to issues of implementation and adaptation, which Correa do Lago and Tony stressed that developing countries arrived at with the intention of providing solutions, and not just waiting for help from developed countries.
– The South is on the move – the COP30 President concluded.
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