The 19th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change on Friday stressed the need for clearer indications from developed countries on meeting their commitment to provide 100 billion U.S. dollars in climate finance per year by 2020, and meaningful and substantial contributions to the Green Climate Fund.
The meeting highlighted the need for enhanced ambition, noting that delivery on existing commitments in the pre-2020 period by developed countries will contribute to the enhancement of trust and confidence indispensable for the successful conclusion of the 2015 agreement, said a joint statement issued at the end of the three-day meeting in Sun City, northwest of Johannesburg.
The meeting dealt with climate change issues in BASIC countries, namely South Africa, India, China and Brazil, and discussed important issues relating to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations and matters pertaining to the Ad hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) discussion on the new 2015 agreement.
The ministers recognized the efforts to generate the political support required for the adoption of an agreement under the UNFCCC in 2015 and welcomed the political momentum achieved.
In this regard, the ministers welcomed the announcements made by some developed countries for the initial capitalization of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and called on other developed countries to do likewise as soon as possible, but no later than the pledging session for the initial resource mobilization process of the fund in November 2014.
The meeting emphasized that the Lima Climate Change Conference in December 2014 will be an important milestone for the successful conclusion of the negotiation of the 2015 agreement, which requires the strengthening of the multilateral rules-based regime under the UNFCCC, in order to achieve its objective.
The ministers concurred that the agreement must provide an inclusive, equitable and effective framework within which parties can put forward their contributions to keep the world on a path to limiting the increase in average global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius.
The participants expressed their view that the Lima conference must provide clarity on how developing countries will be supported in the implementation of their contributions under the 2015 agreement, given the serious socioeconomic challenges they face and their urgent efforts to eradicate poverty.
"The 2015 agreement must establish a clear link between the actions by developing countries to contribute to effectively addressing the climate change challenge and the scale of finance, technology and capacity-building support required by them for implementation," the statement noted.
The ministers reiterated their commitment to strengthen the G77 and China. They warmly welcomed South Africa as the chair of the Group of 77 and China in 2015 and pledged their full support.
The BASIC ministers have been meeting regularly since the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2009 to exchange views and evolve a coordinated approach on important negotiating issues.