As a preamble to the COP28 Climate Change Summit, the Colombian delegation headed by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development will discuss together with 194 countries the review agendas for climate commitments framed in the Paris Agreement, in Bonn (Germany).
This first discussion space for COP28 will take place from June 5 to 15 in the German country, through Session 58 of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“In this strategic meeting, the negotiators will have the opportunity to guide the country’s position on climate matters and prepare the draft documents that we will officially discuss in Dubai 2023,” said the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad.
Topics such as adaptation to climate change, financing of loss and damage, ambition, mitigation plan and just energy transition will be addressed in Bonn.
“We work to have a high level of ambition, transparency and real results that help the planet to meet the goal of limiting the temperature by 1.5 degrees and adapt to the effects of climate change,” said Muhamad.
Ambition and financing, ahead of COP28
At this COP, which will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, headed by President Gustavo Petro and Minister Susana Muhamad, the Colombian delegation will advocate for ambitious results within the framework of the World Balance to evaluate the collective progress of the countries towards the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement and the progressive and determined reduction of the use of fossil fuels, mitigation, adaptation and climate financing, among others.
On this occasion, Colombia hopes to ensure the start-up of the loss and damage fund, avoiding a lengthy process, managing sufficient and additional resources to those for adaptation and mitigation, which respond to the rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction processes, derived from the impacts caused by climate change.
“This year we hope to further amplify our position in the face of the urgent need for the planet to combat climate change. We believe that the global efforts and results around this fight have not been ambitious enough compared to the magnitude of the emergency we face. We need this fight to be collective because it is life on the planet that is at stake”, said the Minister.
In issues of adaptation to climate change, a common understanding and adoption of the framework on the Global Adaptation goal will be sought, which will allow progress to be evaluated, facilitate the report and contribute to the results of the World Balance.
The COP27 package of results showed a sign of progress by creating a new fund for loss and damage, something that climate-vulnerable countries like Colombia have been seeking since the inception of the climate regime 30 years ago.
Hard-fought debates with no progress on achieving increased ambition to limit temperature rise to 1.5ºC, phasing out and phasing out fossil fuels, and questions of who pays and who gets financed for loss and damage left reveal once again the deep fissures that dominate international climate policy.