COP24 provides opportunities for the Commonwealth to advocate on behalf of our member countries, especially for the concerns of small and other vulnerable states who are most threatened by climate change.
The Commonwealth will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24, to be held in Katowice, Poland on 2-14 December 2018. Parties to the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) are set to adopt a ‘rulebook’ for the Paris Agreement, which will outline the governing framework and mechanisms for full implementation of the global climate pact.
COP24 provides opportunities for the Commonwealth to advocate on behalf of our member countries, especially for the concerns of small and other vulnerable states who are most threatened by climate change. This includes a commitment to pursue efforts to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while mitigating, adapting and building resilience to the negative impacts of climate change.
The Commonwealth’s holistic, integrated approach encompasses youth, finance, gender, environment, oceans to support member countries to tackle the effects of climate change and apply a regenerative lens to building climate resilience.
The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth is expected to deliver a statement at the high-level segment of the conference outlining the Secretariat’s climate change initiatives such as the Climate Finance Access Hub, Commonwealth Blue Charter, Law and Climate Change Toolkit, Commonwealth Portal for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the newly-launched Toolkit for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Blue and Green Economies. The Secretary-General and the Secretariat’s climate change experts will also engage with Commonwealth member countries, regional and international bodies on strengthening international collaboration and partnerships, as guided by the ‘rulebook’ that countries will seek to adopt at COP24.
The Commonwealth is also planning a number of activities in the margins of the conference, focusing on:
- Climate finance:
- Ocean conservation through the Commonwealth Blue Charter;
- Disaster risk reduction;
- Climate change and law; and
- Young climate practitioners and intergenerational approaches to climate policy and practice.
The Commonwealth and Climate Change
Find out about the Commonwealth Secretariat, Government of Mauritius and Africa Union joint side event:
'Strengthening synergies between climate change and disaster risk reduction actions' at COP24
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