President Mohammadu Buhari (Centre)with R-L: Mr. Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, United Nations, Mr. Santiago Villalpando, Chief of the Treaty Section, OLA, United Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama, Former Minister of Environment Amina Mohammed as he signs Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
About 197 nations will meet in Germany from today to further develop the guidelines needed to fully implement the landmark 2015 Paris climate change agreement now and over the decades to come.
Negotiators, including Nigerian delegates will meet in Bonn from May 8 to 18 for talks on ensuring transparency on the reporting of climate action by nations to the provision of climate finance and the operational rules of the agreement, which are scheduled to be completed in 2018, governments will also prepare the budget of the Bonn-based UNFCCC secretariat.
The budget is designed to support governments implement the Paris Agreement and provide a range of assistance to developing countries to help them meet their climate action plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
“The May meeting provides governments with the opportunity to clearly advance on the implementation guidelines for making the Paris Agreement fully operational while advancing preparations for the assessment, to take place next year, on progress since Paris,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC.
“The May meeting will also prepare the next budget for the secretariat that governments will need to take forward the implementation of their Paris Agreement, “she added.
The May meeting is a staging-post for the annual climate change conference – COP23 – which will be held in November 2017 and the preparation of its key outcomes. The final budget is also set to be agreed at COP23.
Given that immediate and accelerated climate action is required for governments to reach their climate goals, another key focus in Bonn will be on activities, which have a high potential to curb and reduce emissions.
Specifically, they will focus on efforts to mobilize diverse groups of stakeholders, including the private sector, for urban services and agriculture, forestry and other land use activities with high emission reduction potential and sustainable development benefits.
The May meeting will also see the first meeting of the newly established Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB). Established by the Paris Agreement, this new and critically important institution will boost capacity building for climate action in developing countries.
