Statement
Delivered by Anne Rasmussen
Chairs, Thank you, distinguished Chairs of the SBI and the SBSTA, for convening this joint closing plenary. We thank you for your constructive leadership during this session.
Palau has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the 39 member states of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, AOSIS.
AOSIS aligns itself with the statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of the G77 and China.
Chairs, AOSIS came here with mitigation as a top priority. As we approach the 1.5 limit, stringent emissions reductions are needed urgently to minimize the magnitude and duration of exceeding the 1.5ºC limit and keeping it within reach. This is the only chance we have as a global community to prevent irreversible impacts for millions of people, particularly in SIDS. We underscore that urgent action must be informed by the best available science, provided by the IPCC.
The Mitigation Work Programme is the only space where we have a mandate as per decision 4/CMA.4 within the process to discuss urgently scaling up mitigation ambition and implementation in this critical decade in a manner that complements the global stocktake. We also have an important decision to make at COP31 on the continuation of the work programme.
As we have consistently stated, the work programme has not effectively delivered on its mandate. Any continuation must therefore be accompanied by a significant strengthening of the modalities. AOSIS has engaged constructively and in good faith throughout these
discussions, putting forward detailed suggestions on possible improvements to strengthen the Work Programme and enable it to deliver on its mandate. It is therefore deeply disappointing that progress has been so slow and that after nearly 1.5 weeks of the session, Parties were still unable to move to an informal note or textual basis for negotiation.
The text was issued very late despite repeated calls from AOSIS and required significant flexibility from us. It is deeply unfortunate that we were not able to reach agreement on this critical workstream at a time when we keep hearing about the shift to implementation and are fully cognizant of accelerating warming which requires an urgent response to drastically reduce emissions. We also regret that the agenda item was not allocated sufficient time during the first week such as more 2-hour time slots for informal consultations comparable to other items with substantial mandates and ongoing reviews.
Earlier issuance of text and adequate consultation time could have enabled Parties to make greater progress. AOSIS affirms its interest in having continued discussions on the MWP on the journey to COP31 and urges focused and substantive intersessional engagement to advance the outstanding issues.
Chairs, AOSIS also reiterates the call that the Parties must submit their outstanding 1.5 aligned NDCs and their second BTRs. Further we look forward to seeing how the GIA and Belem Mission to 1.5C help us to accelerate our efforts across mitigation and adaptation. It will be important that these processes help us make progress at COP 31 and beyond in urgently scaling up mitigation ambition and implementation in this critical decade.
Chairs, On science, it is AOSIS' priority that all of our negotiation streams are based on the latest and best available science. Science is not negotiable. Under the agenda item on Research and Systematic Observations (RSO), we deeply regret that we were only able to come to near-procedural conclusions. As always, we expected substantive outcomes on RSO, informed by the Research Dialogue. We reject the notion that AOSIS was blocking engagement on substance. But we would rather have procedural outcomes than a weak reflection of the scientific evidence. This would be at odds with the urgency of action aligned with 1.5°C. Furthermore, on the IPCC, we welcome that the COP30 Global Mutirao reaffirmed the role of the IPCC as the provider of the best available science. We look forward to a swift agreement on the AR7 timeline that sees all Working Group reports published as planned in 2028 in time to inform the second Global Stocktake.
Chairs,
On the Global Stocktake, the UAE Dialogue provided a useful space for Parties to reflect on how we are taking forward the outcomes of GST1 and where further action is needed.
However, it is clear from the discussions that we are not moving fast enough, both in terms of mitigation ambition and the delivery of support. This was also evident during the Annual GST Dialogue on NDC.
Looking ahead, we would like to see the reports from both dialogues take a more substantive approach. These reports and decisions should meaningfully reflect the challenges and opportunities identified by Parties, so that they can inform future work under the GST process.
With regard to preparations for GST2, it is critical that we find a clear way to integrate the findings of the IPCC into the process. Science is at the heart of the GST and the IPCC remains the most crucial source of scientific information for the GST process. Any failure to adequately reflect the best available science would seriously undermine the integrity and credibility of GST2.
Chairs, AOSIS wishes to acknowledge that the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement has now entered full implementation, with many Parties successfully completing the first reporting cycle. While this marks an important milestone in strengthening transparency and accountability under the Paris Agreement, it is important to recognize that many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have not yet been able to complete a full cycle of the ETF. Not due to a lack of commitment or effort, but because significant capacity, technical, institutional, and resource constraints continue to impede implementation.
AOSIS had hoped that the discussions held during this SB session, including the World Café event, would deepen understanding of the realities faced by developing country Parties in implementing the ETF and provide an opportunity to identify practical solutions and agree on a clear path forward. While these discussions have been valuable, we must ask ourselves how much longer we can continue discussing well-known challenges without taking meaningful action to address them.
AOSIS further notes that access to support under the ETF must be timely and practical to be effective. This remains a significant challenge for many developing country Parties, including SIDS, which continue to experience difficulties accessing support in a coordinated and predictable manner, particularly when assistance is required within time- bound reporting cycles. Strengthening coordination among support providers and
improving the delivery of assistance will therefore be critical to enabling effective implementation of the framework.
In this regard, we note with disappointment that Parties were unable to achieve consensus on this matter and regret that Rule 16 was applied to all transparency agenda items at this session. The absence of agreement risks undermining the level of attention and urgency that these longstanding challenges require. Continued procedural stalemate is not a substitute for the concrete action and support needed to ensure effective and equitable implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework.
We remain concerned by the limited progress in advancing concrete measures to address the needs and constraints of developing countries. We therefore encourage Parties to continue working constructively toward solutions that ensure no Party is left behind in the implementation of the Enhanced Transparency Framework.
On matters related to adaptation, we are EXTREMELY disappointed in how negotiations were conducted at this SB session, particularly on the GGA. AOSIS came ready to engage, offered new bridging proposals at every single informal and in the corridors, and really tried to make progress with all parties. Procedurally, we were consistently given texts with little to no time to engage before informal sessions were meant to begin. The addition of brackets to only two paragraphs of text, both of which had been supported by the entirety of the G77 and China, was incredibly disrespectful to all developing country parties, and the circles we have talked in since those brackets appeared have been, frankly, exhausting and completely unproductive. Adaptation is an absolutely critical item for all developing parties, particularly SIDS who are already living with the harsh realities of climate impacts. The tripling goal for adaptation finance was one of the hardest fought elements of the Mutirao package in Belem, and underscores that a GGA framework without adequate means of implementation is useless to us and other developing countries. We cannot accept the attempts to remove reference to this goal from GGA negotiations. We cannot let this become the norm for adaptation negotiations. We look forward to a more productive session in Antalya, and hope that parties come truly ready to engage on substance.
Chairs, As we move toward Antalya and COP31, it is essential that the progress made across the loss and damage architecture translates into tangible support for vulnerable developing countries, particularly SIDS. We welcome the ongoing work of the WIM ExCom, the Santiago Network and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, and look forward to assessing how these bodies are delivering on their mandates in a coherent and complementary manner. We remain committed to engaging constructively to strengthen
implementation and advance collective action on loss and damage. For SIDS, loss and damage is not a future challenge, but a present reality. We must ensure that the institutions we have established deliver at the scale and speed required by those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Chairs, As we conclude these Subsidiary Body discussions, AOSIS notes that while we have witnessed minor procedural movement, the incremental and sluggish progress on long- languishing Adaptation Fund matters remains deeply insufficient, especially in light of clean text that is ready to be transmitted on technical mandates. We urge the SBI Chair and the COP31 Presidencies to proactively engage on political issues that are continuing to prevent full progress on the Adaptation Fund and hindering its ability to monetise share of proceeds when they become available.
The engineered volatility and political coercion clouding the core UNFCCC funds and multilateral development banks continue to trigger an unprecedented crisis of compliance, actively dismantling the ability of SIDS to implement our climate priorities. AOSIS along with the G77 and China, made it clear that it was our understanding that the Climate Finance Work Programme should have been on the provisional agenda for CMA8. In this regard, we underscore efforts by the COP30 Presidency to clarify this with the Secretariat.
As AOSIS looks forward to engage on this item at CMA8, this must be a space that provides absolute operational clarity on the binding provision of accessible, grant-based public finance, ensuring our partners are held legally accountable to their promises.
AOSIS stresses that restoring trust in the multilateral process requires the immediate, full, and adequate replenishment and capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Adaptation Fund (AF), the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), and the Special Climate Change Fund Window A (SCCF-A). In light of a less-than-satisfactory GEF Assembly and decreases in the climate focal area of GEF-9, SIDS can no longer tolerate a starved financial mechanism and financial architecture.
Chairs, We began this session with a clear signal that we cannot leave without advancing just transition mandates that truly work for all, is responsive to SIDS needs, and is grounded in the best available science. AOSIS acknowledges the progress made and welcomes the outcomes, highlighting our collective efforts towards effective implementation of just transitions.
In finalizing the TORs for the JTWP review, we have ensured our work can begin here and conclude at COP31 with a robust and comprehensive review, assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the work program along with its complementarity and coherence with relevant workstreams under the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
We look forward to working with all Parties intersessionally through the 6th JT dialogue, submissions, and relevant opportunities to secure a substantive decision at COP31 on the review of the Just Transition Work Program as well as the operationalization of the Just Transition Mechanism.
It is imperative we continue to move towards fast, fair, 1.5 aligned just transitions. This is not only necessary to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, it is also fundamental for building resilience in our communities most vulnerable to climate change.
Chairs, On capacity-building, AOSIS welcomes the constructive engagement and exchanges held during this session. These discussions reaffirmed that capacity-building remains a critical enabler of implementation, strengthening national institutions and supporting countries in translating commitments into action.
We congratulate the Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB) on the successful convening of its tenth meeting and also welcome the insightful exchanges held during the Durban Forum, which continues to provide important opportunities for sharing experiences and strengthening collaboration.
For SIDS, capacity-building efforts must continue to respond to evolving national needs and circumstances, while supporting long-term institutional strengthening and effective access to means of implementation. We look forward to continuing these discussions and advancing practical solutions that strengthen implementation on the ground.
Chairs, On Action for Climate Empowerment, AOSIS acknowledges and shares our appreciation to the Co-Facilitators, Secretariat, and colleagues for their engagement in the ACE Dialogues that enabled robust discussions on the development of a new ACE Action Plan.
AOSIS is pleased that we could welcome the informal note which highlights the importance of improving efforts to strengthen the relationship between finance and ACE,
enhancing climate education across sectors and for all ages, and promoting awareness raising on climate for all members of society.
We share the concern that not all of our priorities were able to be raised primarily due to budget considerations that should not guide our mandate.
AOSIS stresses the importance of ensuring ACE starts with us and delivering a holistic Action Plan that leaves no one behind. This includes identifying ways for ACE to be mainstreamed across the UNFCCC, including just transitions, GGA, and other items. We look forward to continuing these discussions toward delivering a meaningful, effective ACE Action Plan later this year.
Chairs, On markets, AOSIS urges Parties to design a longer-term funding system for Article 6.2 infrastructure and processes that enables SIDS and LDCs that wish to participate in Article 6 activities to do so without incurring an undue financial burden.
With respect to non-market approaches under Article 6.8, AOSIS appreciated the opportunity at the GCNMA in-session workshop here in Bonn to share experiences with bulk procurement initiatives in the Caribbean and Pacific for the purchase of renewable energy technologies. AOSIS was also pleased to facilitate spin off group discussions on cooperative efforts underway across multiple Parties to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
We also benefited from spin off group discussions on forest ecosystem conservation initiatives. In connection with the review of the Article 6.8 work programme, AOSIS looks forward to continuing discussion on ways to best showcase replicable examples of cooperation between Parties.
Chairs, AOSIS welcomes the outcomes achieved under the technology agenda items at this session.
We are pleased that Parties were able to reach agreement on the host of the Climate Technology Centre (CTC) as well as the elements of the Memorandum of Understanding.
We look forward to continuing this work at COP31 and that the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) continues its role as the implementation arm of the Technology Mechanism. The CTCN with its expanded functions continues to play a vital role in supporting SIDS through the development, deployment and transfer of appropriate technologies that enhance climate action and resilience.
We also welcome the decision to initiate the Second Periodic Assessment of the Technology Mechanism. The first Periodic Assessment was a valuable exercise that informed the first Global Stocktake and ultimately contributed to the establishment of the Belem Technology Implementation Programme. We hope that the second periodic assessment will identify remaining gaps and opportunities for improvement, ensuring that the Technology Mechanism remains responsive to the needs and priorities of developing countries, especially SIDS.
AOSIS is also pleased that we were able to conclude on, and welcome, the Joint Annual Report for 2025. The work of both the Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the CTCN remains invaluable to developing countries, particularly SIDS, in advancing climate ambition and implementation. We regret that we were not able to make reference to the GST in the decision.
Finally, we welcome the decision on enhancing the linkages between the Technology Mechanism and the Financial Mechanism. We hope that this outcome will strengthen cooperation between the two mechanisms, improve access to support, and accelerate the deployment, development, transfer and implementation of climate technologies in our countries.
Chairs, On response measures, AOSIS is disappointed that Parties were unable to achieve consensus over the matter on the modalities of how information to be provided for the technical assessment component of GST2. We hope this matter reaches its conclusion before we resolve this session.
Chairs, AOSIS reaffirms the critical importance of advancing ocean action under the UNFCCC.
As climate impacts intensify, our oceans continue to face rising temperatures, sea level rise, acidification, and biodiversity loss, with profound consequences for Small Island Developing States. We welcome the constructive exchanges under the ocean dialogue during this session and recognize its value in strengthening understanding and cooperation. However, dialogue must lead to action. As we look ahead to COP31, we urge that the recommendations and outcomes emerging from these discussions be reflected in decision-making processes and translated into concrete implementation support that responds to the urgent needs of vulnerable countries.
Chairs, On gender, AOSIS welcomes the constructive exchanges held during this session, including through the four mandated events under the Belém Gender Action Plan. These discussions reaffirmed the importance of shifting our focus towards implementation and ensuring that commitments are translated into practical support at the national level.
For SIDS, priorities remain clear: strengthening capacities, supporting National Gender and Climate Change Focal Points, improving access to finance, and ensuring that the specific needs and circumstances of SIDS continue to be reflected in the implementation of the GAP. We look forward to carrying this momentum forward in the period ahead.
For AOSIS, this SB session was another important opportunity to reinforce the urgency of delivering outcomes that respond to the profound risks climate change poses to our members.
We remain committed to engaging constructively and ambitiously as we look ahead to COP31. I thank you.
