Clashes over whether to launch formal negotiations on Durban Platform in Doha

Negotiating parties were divided over whether to ask ministers to discuss the two work streams of the exploratory roundtable discussions started here in Bangkok, Thailand, at COP 18. COP 18 will be held in Doha, Qatar in November.

The split became even more apparent at the closing plenary of the Adhoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (AWG-ADP) today. Today, September 5 is the final day of the Bangkok informal inter-sessional.

Essentially nearly all developed countries want the ministers to meet on the ADP in Doha even though its work is still at the preliminary stages. The European Union, the Umbrella Group (led by Australia) and the Environmental Integrity Group (led by Switzerland). It was not all developed countries asking for the meeting. The Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) led by Nauru backed the suggestion by rich countries.

However the BASIC group countries, a group made of the big emerging economies of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, opposed the suggestion. The ADP discussions are still in their exploratory stages and therefore it is premature to have the ministers meet on the issue. The BASIC’s position received a boost with an endorsement from the fairly new but increasingly influential Like Minded Group (LMG) of countries led by Malaysia.

The Umbrella Group is a coalition of non-EU developed countries Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States, Australia and Iceland. The Environmental Integrity Group is made up of Mexico, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland.

South Africa speaking for the BASIC countries said a ministerial on the ADP in Doha will be premature. He urged parties to allow the ADP to crystallize its work first.

But this was not the only point of departure. The Like Minded Group (LMG) of developing countries also dismissed Gambia’s call for negotiations on the ADP to be launched in Doha as ill-timed. Like many other other parties, LMG want the exploratory discussions to mature before launching contact groups at the negotiations.

For Gambia and the LDC given the 2015 for a new climate regime to ready (although its implementation will start in 2020) it was necessary for parties to move quickly to launch the negotiations so as to complete it on schedule.