Report
Tuvalu, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, has pleasure in presenting the following perspectives on COP Agenda Item 8: Inputs from the Conference of Parties to other Intergovernmental Meetings: (a) International Meeting for the 10 year review of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action (b) World Conference on Disaster Reduction (c) Process for providing input to the fourteenth session of the Commission for Sustainable Development (a) International Meeting for the 10 year review of the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action AOSIS recalls that the United Nations General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session requested all United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and other relevant intergovernmental agencies and organizations to participate actively in the 10-year review of the progress in the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States. AOSIS also notes that Article 4 paragraph 8 subparagraph (a) makes specific reference to small island countries and acknowledges that the UNFCCC has held a workshop on insurance and the impacts of climate change. We note with alarm the devastating effect that hurricanes in the Caribbean and cyclones in the Pacific wreaked on the economies of many small island states this year and emphasizing the vulnerability of small island developing states to the impacts of climate change-related severe weather events, sea level rise other climate change related effects such as water shortages and coral bleaching. Small island developing states have difficulty in accessing insurance to protect against the damage created by climate change-related severe weather events, sea level rise and other climate change related effects such as water shortages and coral bleaching. Furthermore small island developing states are facing with an additional burden of high energy costs due to the cost of importing fuel onto islands and their small economies of scale in purchasing fuel and hence wish to note the importance of taking urgent action by all Parties to reduce the contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We expect that countries attending the International Meeting on the Review of the Barbados Programme of Small Island Developing States will give due consideration to the vulnerabilities of small island - 4 - developing states with respect to climate change-related severe weather events, sea level rise and other climate change related effects such as water shortages and coral bleaching and to support new initiatives to help small island developing states overcome these difficulties. We believe that a workshop, subject to the availability of funds, should be held prior to the eleventh session of the Conference of Parties on developing a special international insurance facility for small island developing states to meet the reparation costs of climate change-related severe weather events, sea level rise and other climate change related effects such as water shortages and coral bleaching. We believe that the agenda of the eleventh session of the Conference of Parties should include an item on a review of the outcomes of the International Meeting on the Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States in the context of: (a) their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change; and (b) their special needs with respect to developing renewable energy and energy efficient systems; and that a special programme for SIDS should be developed within the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. (b) World Conference on Disaster Reduction, Kobe, Japan, from 18 to 22 January 2005 AOSIS notes that the United Nations General Assembly, at its fifty-eight session, decided to convene the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005; and that the General Assembly invited Member States, all United Nations bodies and specialized agencies and other relevant intergovernmental agencies and organizations to participate actively in the conference. AOSIS also notes Article 2, Article 3, paragraph 3 and Article 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph (g) of the Convention. We recall the severe cyclones and hurricanes in the Caribbean, the United States and the Pacific created severe damage and loss of lives and note the indisputably close link between natural disasters and the effects of climate change and sea level rise and the devastating impacts that these climate related effects are having. We appreciate the generous pledge made by the Government of Japan to cover costs of the World Conference, and welcome the voluntary contributions already made to facilitate the participation of representatives of developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, in that event, and invites those States who have not yet done so to make such voluntary contributions. AOSIS encourages all Parties to the UNFCCC to attend the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and to find effective linkages between the work of the UNFCCC COP and ongoing efforts in disaster reduction; We recognize the importance of linking disaster risk management with adaptation strategies, particularly for Least Developed Countries and small island developing states and further recognize the importance of early warning as an essential element of disaster reduction, and encourages Parties and regional organisations to establish early warning systems. AOSIS calls on the international community to provide the necessary financial resources scientific, technical, human and other resources to help countries protect themselves against climate change related disasters. We urge the international community to develop a comprehensive insurance facility to assist Least Developed Countries and small island developing states to meet the costs of restoring damages to property and human life resulting from climate related disasters. We also encourage the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC to attend the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and to provide an insight into the close connection between climate change and climate related disasters. (c) Input into the Fourteenth Session of the Commission for Sustainable Development AOSIS recalls that the eleventh session of the Commission for Sustainable Development adopted a multiyear programme of work in which the thematic cluster of energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere, and climate change will be considered in the 2006-2007 cycle, including a review session in the first year of the cycle and a policy session in the second year. We note that the Commission has invited relevant United Nations agencies, within their mandates, to inform it of their activities designed to further the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. AOSIS recalls Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in this respect believes that we should include in the agenda of the eleventh session of the Conference of Parties an item on “climate change and energy for sustainable development” with a view to forwarding conclusions to this discussion to the fourteenth session of the Commission for Sustainable Development. We would also like to encourage Parties, non government organisations and the business community to contribute to a trade fair at the eleventh session of the Conference of Parties on the theme of energy for sustainable development. Further we would also like the secretariat to hold a workshop, subject to available funding, on the theme of “climate change and facilitating energy for sustainable development” prior to the 2006 meeting of the Commission of Sustainable Development, with a view to forwarding the outcomes of the workshop to the CSD at its fourteenth session.
