ADP draft decision text

COP

Oddly, the COP takes place in the Ministry of Defence, referred to by Peruvians as the 'Pentagonito,' meaning 'little pentagon.' It's a sprawling military barracks, with old army training equipment scattered across the grounds. A labyrinthine village of vast temporary buildings and tents has been put up, comprising 30 conference rooms and two plenaries for 2,000 people. The enormous windowless concrete Ministry looms over the whole. As I remarked to a colleague, somehow the site reminds me of Bosnia in the 1990s...

There is hardly any provision for disabled people at the COP and woeful provision for those who, like me, have an injury. There were no lifts that I could see, and getting from place to place involved long walks in the heat. I walk with a stick. I found negotiating the COP difficult, so I can only imagine the challenge it presents for those who are disabled.

Most of the events relating to indigenous communities took place at the Maloca, the Indigenous Pavilion, which was in the 'Jockey Club,' a horse racing track about a mile from the main COP. The Maloca was the only area I visited that was deprived of wifi - a tool crucial for networking, negotiating and decision-making. Getting to and from the Pavilion for indigenous events was not easy. There were no buses from the Maloca to participants hotels - we had to return to the Pentagonito and take a bus from there.

Indigenous people are present in force at COP20 but tragically their voices are not being heard.

ADP DRAFT DECISION TEXT

At about 2 am this morning, Lima, Peru time, a new draft text of the ADP was issued that could form the basis of an agreement in Paris. The decision text is fatally weak, does not respect the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is vague on financing, unbalanced, and overly focused on mitigation. The concept of differentiated responsibility is being diluted by new terms. Language relating to 'loss and damage' which is critical for developing countries has been removed. In short it is a poor basis for an agreement in Paris.

All these shortcomings will affect developing countries and poor communities in disastrous ways.

At 10.40 am this morning, the closing Plenary began, where countries responded to the text. Some including Malaysia, Sudan, Tuvalu, China, Cuba, Oman, Pakistan, my native Nicaragua and South Africa among others objected to the text, and refuse to accept the agreement as it stands. These countries called for negotiations on the text of the agreement to continue directly under the Peruvian COP President Manuel Pulgar Vidal.

Ian Fry of Tuvalu, speaking for the Least Developed Countries, stated: 'This text needs a little surgery. We'd like to put on gowns and scalpels and insert some vital organs.' He also stated, 'Loss and damage is a crucial issue for the poorest and most vulnerable.'

I was very surprised that after eloquently lamenting the loss and damage language, the Philippines agreed to accept the draft ADP text as it stands.

Singapore described a lack of trust: the draft text is deviating from the Convention, there's backsliding on finance and commitments from developed countries.

The Malaysian representative Prof. Gurdial Singh Nijar said, 'If you look at who is clapping in this room, and when, you realise we come from different worlds. Many of you colonised us. We started out at different points... The ADP process in Lima has been exhausted... This process was not given a chance until it was too late. This is unlikely to produce an outcome. You must recognise that there is a world out there, a disenfranchised world that is different to your world.'

Nicaragua's representative Jaime Hermida Castillo said, 'the divisions over the draft agreement are a reflection of our world... We feel climate change right now, although we didn't create it. But we don't have the same resources to deal with it.'

India echoed these sentiments, stating, 'Let us not forget the billions of poor. Let's not make the poor pay for this, but the polluters.'

The ADP draft text has now been passed to the COP for further revision, under the supervision of President Pulgar-Vidal. The aim is to achieve a consensus today. He meets all blocs for 10 minutes each. He stated this morning, 'This is not a moment for proposals but for solutions. Let's work together.' We'll see.

Human rights are not mentioned in the ADP. It is both inexplicable and unconscionable that the concept of human rights has been omitted from the draft text. 'A safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is integral to the full enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water and sanitation.' Climate change, and the harms it will cause, are fundamentally issues of human rights.

The Philippines had proposed that the following language be added to the ADP: 'fair, inclusive, respectful of human rights and particularly rights of indigenous people and women.'

Ghana and Mexico supported the addition of human rights language. Unfortunately I fear, there is now very little chance they will prevail. I cannot fathom why more countries did not support the addition of this language to the ADP.

On the 10th of December - International Human Rights Day - the Special Procedures Mandate Holders, the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system, issued a statement urging Member States to integrate human rights standards and principles in the climate negotiations.

It's critical, their statement continues, since 'impacts of climate change interfere with the effective enjoyment of human rights. In particular, climate change has a disproportionate effect on many disadvantaged, marginalized, excluded and vulnerable individuals and groups, including those whose ways of life are inextricably linked to the environment.' (my italics).

It seems they were not heeded. In the language of the Advanced Durban Platform decision text it appears that preambular language referencing "human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples" has been removed.