Momentum and Purpose for the second week of the COP20

"We cannot repeat Copenhagen".  Those words echo in the Plenary tents. 

"The darkest places in Hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis do not act. --Dante

Extinct Plants and animals created the fossil fuels we use.  Fossil Fuels represent and embody extinction. We must not condemn ourselves to extinction by riding on the backs of the extinct" 

"we cannot ignore the voices of the youth and women in climate action.  Scientists tells us that urgent action is needed, civil society says urgent action is needed" 

"If we save Tuvalu, we save the world". -Prime Minister of Tuvalu

Indeed it is All of us or none of us. 

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The opening remarks are heady with the words of how to meaningfully participate as a high-party delegate or as a civil society observer. What will this final week bring? 

Having a roadmap for the final COP20 can shape your perceptions of how you participate here as an observer to the negotiations.  In the past, our badges have said: non-governmental.  Denoting a specific type of hierarchy to the meetings, some say the badge is intentional to separate who really matters and who doesn't. This year that perception was challenged. 

In an effort to increase transparency and to encourage participation, the badges underwent a name change.  We are now observers. 

I think that it is a purposeful movement on behalf of the Secretary General to include civil society's role as Observers transforms their role as a stakeholder. It encourages them while letting parties know we are watching and reporting. 

Brilliant move.  

Here please find the road map for the current week, and what the negotiations hope to accomplish.  

Monday:

In the 2^nd week of the UNFCCC there were important documents distributed right before the joint high-level segment of Lima COP20/CMP10 opens on Tuesday.  The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), (this is the body tasked with reaching a new climate change agreement and raising immediate global climate action), the Co-Chairs have already issued the newest COP decision draft text on item 3 and the elements for a draft negotiating text , which they had compiled over the weekend at the request of Parties.

The first documents benefited from a useful week of negotiations during the opening week of the COP20.

-The Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and

-Technological Advice (SBSTA)

Loss and Damage, Response Measures,  Reporting and Review by Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, and Annex 1 Review Guidelines now have more concrete documents. (1)

-Multilateral Assessment

This process is new to the UNFCCC that allows all countries to assess how developed countries are implementing actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was one of continued debate over how to best quantify and collect data in a reasonable way.

In the second session, the countries coming forward for assessment are: Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Monday was also Lima REDD+ Day, where the topic of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries was a specific tone of the conference.

Tuesday: (HOY DIA!)

Today, Tuesday, there is a joint high-level segment of the COP and CMP opens, with a high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance  in the afternoon.

Currently, as I sit and type at the plenary.  The calls for engagement are the same as every year from Copenhagen to Warsaw and now Lima.  From Ban Ki-Moon, he references the People's Climate Summit in NYC this past September, to Figures who "calls for action in the urgent present", and COP 20 President Manuel Pulgar-Vidal asking for urgency.  ALL LEAD. the race is on.... the language is always the same. All the speakers continue to highlight similar sentiments. The President of Nauru, of the Pacific Island Countries: "Seize the opportunity before it slips into the abyss." Tuesday is a day to encourage action. 

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Also, many days here at COP20 are designated under a particular theme. 

Today is Gender day, with a high-level event on gender and climate change scheduled for the afternoon, followed a by Momentum for Change: Women for Results event showcasing women’s leadership on climate action. Last year this segment was incredibly powerful, and was lead by Deputy Secretary General Christina Figures. This session acknowledges that men and women taking action on gender equality and climate change and now asks: How far have we come? The moderator this year is: Ms. Mary Robinson.

For those of you who are interested you can see the schedule for today below.  

H.E. Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP20/CMP10 President 

Ms. Nadine Heredia, First Lady of Peru (tbc) 

Stage-setting on global gender gaps 

Ms. Mary Robinson, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change (tbc) 

Moderator 

H.E. Ms. Amber Rudd, Climate Minister, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 

Panelists

· H.E. Ms. María del Carmen Omonte Durand, Minister of Women and Vulnerable 

Populations, Peru 

· H.E. Mr. Pa Ousman Jarju, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Water Resources, 

Parks and Wildlife, The Gambia 

· H.E. Mr. Juan Jose Guerra Abud, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico 

(tbc) 

· Ms. Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive Director 

· Ms. Susan McDade, UNDP Deputy Assistant Administrator 

· Ms. Alina Saba, Mugal Indigenous Women's Upliftment Institute/Asia Pacific Forum on 

Women, Law and Development, UNFCCC Women and Gender constituency 

· Mr. Klever Descarpontriez, College of the Atlantic/Earth in Brackets, UNFCCC constituency 

of youth NGOs 

Closing Remarks 

· Ms. Elena Manaenkova, WMO Assistant Secretary-General 

Wednesday: Momentum for Change. 

A special Presidential session will take place on Wednesday morning, in which several Presidents of Latin American countries will speak, as well as UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, followed by a Ministerial Dialogue on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action in the afternoon.

On Wednesday evening, the Secretariat's Momentum for Change Showcase Event will be held to celebrate the 2014 Lighthouse Activities. Click here for links to actions happening near you. (2)

Thursday: is Climate Action Day.

As part of a series of activities, Peru will convene an innovative climate action high-level dialogue between parties, UNFCCC bodies and non-state actors. (like me!)

The dialogue seeks to promote engagement and support by global leaders to strengthen pre-2020 climate action as a strong foundation for the post-2020 Climate Agreement, as well as to encourage implementation of existing climate commitments by Parties and other commitments by non-state actors. The meeting will be webcast live.

Friday: un dia loco.

The ADP is scheduled to have its closing plenary on Thursday afternoon, with the COP and CMP both scheduled to close on Friday. 

Envio Suerte!!!

The overarching theme for the week is: ASK yourself.  If not now, when?

1: http://newsroom.unfccc.int/lima/looking-ahead-to-limas-second-week/

2: ibid