President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Dr Theo-Ben Gurirab this morning handed over the IPU Declaration on Climate Change to COP17 President Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
Dr Gurirab emphasised that Parliamentarians had a crucial responsibility. “As elected representatives of the people, Parlamentarians have an important role to play in climate change with regards to reporting, monitoring and verification of climate change action. This is in line with sentiments expressed by MPs that climate change is a life and death situation and that they could not sit idly and wait for governments to act,” Dr Ghurnrabt said.
Speaker of South Africa’s National Assembly Mr Max Sisulu said Parliamentarians, having handed over their declaration, were now hoping for positive outcomes from COP17. “We are cautiously optimistic that a favourable outcome will be obtained. Leaders now have the opportunity to show leadership and move us forward,” Mr Sisulu said.
Among others, the declaration adopted by the IPU:
- Reiterates that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities must be the fundamental basis of any multilateral action to address climate change and must not be compromised. Commits Parliamentarians to do all they can to enhance international cooperation with a view to achieving the objectives of the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the COP17 climate change agreement
- Notes that the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol will end in 2012 and that the developing countries currently account for a larger share of emissions reduction, and reaffirm that the ultimate goal of the negotiating process is the adoption of a legally binding new global agreement setting the world on the path towards low-emissions and resilient development. All major economies are urged to honour their pledges under the Cancún Agreement pending the establishment of a comprehensive framework
- Reinforces the urgent need to support developing countries in implementing their adaptation plans, particularly the most vulnerable small island developing States (SIDS), the least developed countries (LDCs) and countries in Africa. Parliamentarians therefore underscore the importance of obtaining a guaranteed balance between adaptation and mitigation, the two facets of the efforts to combat climate change that are pivotal to the negotiations. They also call on the Parties to prioritise disaster risk reduction and capacity-building as cross-cutting issues and to give them their utmost attention
- Underscores that the mobilisation of financial resources and the transfer of technology by developed country Parties as pledged under the UNFCCC are crucial to dealing with climate change and requires that governance issues and institutional arrangements be dealt with transparently and efficiently, thus ensuring accessibility and an equal footing for developed and developing countries in the governance and administration of climate funds and technology flows, and
- Calls for the swift operationalisation of all the institutions established under the Cancún Agreements, including the Adaptation Committee, the Technology Executive Committee, Centre and Network, the Registry, the Work Programme and Forum on the Response Measures and the Green Climate Fund.
The full declaration is available at www.ipu.org.
For more information or interviews please contact:
Nolizwi Magwagwa
Cell: 083 313 1323
