Opening speech at the Joint Workshop on the Framework for Various Approaches, Non-Market-Based Approaches and the New Market Mechanism

Bonn, Germany 7 October 2013

Statement by

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset may I thank Switzerland, UK, Norway, New Zealand and the EU Commission for their generous support of these workshops. As we know, there was much interest in having as broad a participation as possible. Thanks to their support we were able to bring everyone who wanted to come.

Now friends, the SBSTA Chair has just mentioned the three topics that bring you together, which are of course interrelated topics.

However, I also want to remind you that there is a fourth topic that needs to be in the back of your heads that also interrelates with these three topics but is not being addressed because that is not the purpose of these three days. That fourth topic is all of the different efforts that many of you, although not all, are already engaged in on domestic schemes at home.

That is the background with which you need to look at all of this. I say this because what we are looking at here is at the international level, what is going to bring us together on non-market based and market-based approaches and in the framework for various approaches. In the framework, you also need to consider how domestic schemes will fit in and be comparable to each other.

We meet today in the context of a loud alarm bell: the recently released IPCC report tells us in very clear terms that time is running out; that we absolutely have to accelerate all our efforts at mitigation if we want to avoid the highest cost of adaptation, because those two aspects of climate change are intimately linked.

It is therefore a very important task that you have ahead of you because it is through these non-market and market-based approaches that we would be able to increase ambition. They are not the only avenue to increasing ambition, but are certainly one very important avenue to increasing ambition and increasing the level of mitigation which then will help to avoid the worst cost of adaptation.

I would like to thank you for the thoughtful submissions we have received on all three topics. They provide helpful input that will inform these three days that you are together.

May I, however, be as direct as I always am and give you some homework. I am sure we are all aware of the fact that these three topics are at different levels of conceptual development. But it is our expectation that you would be able to take each to the next level of clarity.

So may I suggest what your specific task during these three days would be:

• On non-market-based approaches (NMA) we really need to come out of these three days with a definition that will then be taken to CMP in Warsaw. The conceptual and intellectual work needs to be done here, because now is when you have the most time to talk to each other and to refine that concept. The definition for NMA, as well as the approach to these, would be a very constructive output of these three days.

• On the New Market Mechanism we need more clarity on the options for modalities and procedures. This is key to progress on that topic.

• On the Framework for Various Approaches, we need the definition, the scope and the process.

We are all aware of the fact that these three topics need to move forward together if they are to realize their potential benefits. You have invested time and effort to come to Bonn, you will invest time and effort during this workshop. I trust by the end of the workshop you will feel that you have made concrete progress, that the time and effort was worth it because we have moved at least one step forward.

Having said that, I would like to reiterate what the Chair of SBSTA said: that there are no decisions made at these workshops. But there is still a lot of space for intellectual work and for conceptual generation that can then be taken to the SBSTA and to the ADP.

Finally, I don’t know how many of you have to stand up in public and say “NMM,” but for those who do, you know it is completely impossible. So I would very much encourage you to think of a new name for the ‘NMM’.

There is a creative corner that has been prepared for you, so we encourage you to think of a new name. He or she who puts up the winning name will get a year’s supply of M&Ms!

And with that may I thank the SBSTA Chair for convening this workshop, may I thank the six co-facilitators for the hard work they will do these days, and may I thank all of you for coming, and for your active, constructive and committed participation. You have a challenging task ahead of you, but I am sure by Wednesday you will have a very good product.

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