The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with UNITAR have called for a collective effort to assist Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to strategically engage in the upcoming COP21 climate treaty in Paris.
During a seminar organized by the agencies at the UN Campus in Bonn, Giza Gaspar Martins, chair, LDC Group, said, the LDCs must ensure that the future regime fully recognizes the challenges to development posed by climate change, and to this end, effective coordination and teamwork are pivotal objectives in the run-up to Paris and beyond.
Martins urged the LDC Group must act more strategically and as a unit.
LDCs face severe socio-economic and environmental problems which threaten sustainable development. Climate change and variability will continue to exacerbate these problems, posing one of the biggest challenges for 21st century diplomacy and international development, said Ambassador Collin Beck, from Solomon Islands.
Beck continued, “Yet, LDCs face obstacles in engaging effectively in intergovernmental climate change negotiation processes. “LDCs need to look at the core issues towards an agreement in Paris. Some issues are not flexible –we cannot negotiate survival.”
The seminar was part of the activities of a UNDP/UNEP global support program, supported by the Global Environment Facility (The GEF). The program aims to build the capacity of LDCs to participate effectively in intergovernmental climate change processes.
The seminar discussed the issues LDCs face in the wake of COP 21. The agencies are working to strengthen their negotiation skills, develop expertise in the application of climate change information and science, and enhance their understanding of the climate change policy-making framework under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Collaborating partners include the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Climate Analytics.
Rajani Baburajan