PRESS RELEASE

ACT Alliance said today that while it was happy to note that the text of the UNFCCC climate negotiations in Paris has managed to progress to the Ministers’ stage of the process,  the text is still weak and contains many of the crucial unresolved issues.

Mattias Söderberg, head of the ACT Alliance delegation at the COP21 in Paris, observed: “There are still big boulders on the road to an ideal Paris agreement and Ministers have an important task in front of them, to clear this road. This is the time for bold leadership and increased ambition by the Ministers and all countries, and not a time to be timid and hide behind differentiation or other parties.”

ACT Alliance noted its particular concern for five key areas, where it said progress must be achieved before an agreement can be adopted.

Söderberg said: “We see five boulders on the road. Firstly, countries must agree on how to share both burdens and opportunities. The old division between developed and developing countries is no longer applicable, and we need a fair and equitable differentiation of the future engagement. Secondly, we already know that the ambition of the Paris agreement will be too low, and there is need for a strong ratcheting up mechanism, including early review to increase ambition. Thirdly, we need global goals, guiding governments and investors, to a low carbon and resilient transformation of future development. Fourthly, parties need to agree on climate finance, to ensure that there are adequate means of implementation to support developing countries in their efforts to engage in both mitigation and resilience. And finally, the Paris agreement should not leave anyone behind. It must acknowledge the situations where adaptation is no longer possible, and Loss and Damage must thus be a central element of the text.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. ACT Alliance is a coalition of 137 churches and faith-based organisations working together in over 100 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.
2. For more information contact Mattias Söderberg on +45 29700609 and +33-(0) 755364556 email:msd@dca.dk or Thomas Hirsch on  +4917171 5217719 or email: t.hirsch@climate-development-advice.de