Copenhagen accord a step forward, say major economies

Washington, (IANS) Representatives of major economies, including India, are generally agreed that the Copenhagen Accord represented an important step forward and provided important political consensus regarding key issues in the climate change negotiations leading up to Cancun.

This was indicated by the Chair's summary of the two-day meeting of the leaders' representatives of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate that ended here Monday.

Participants discussed what work needs to be done in the year ahead, including the need to elaborate the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) and other transparency provisions of the accord.

In this regard, they welcomed India's presentation on practical approaches to MRV and international consultations and analysis.

Parties also highlighted the importance of discussions being representative and transparent. They discussed goals for Cancun and beyond besides the role of the Kyoto Protocol and the form of a legal outcome.

There was also a discussion of the key issues that need to be addressed to have a successful outcome in Cancun, noting the importance of setting realistic expectations for Cancun.

Recognising the urgency of moving forward, participants felt that in Cancun countries should at a minimum agree on a balanced set of decisions informed by the Copenhagen Accord.

Participants supported the Mexican presidency's efforts to prepare COP16, the 16th Conference of the Parties under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The conference will be held in Mexico between Nov 29 and Dec 10, 2010.

Many countries noted the importance of moving forward promptly with the accord's Fast Start financing provisions in a transparent fashion. Several countries presented information on the actions they were already undertaking in response to their fast start financing commitment under the Copenhagen Accord.

The participants were briefed on the Clean Energy Ministerial to be held July 19-20, 2010 in Washington. It aims to advance key activities in the Technology Action Plans of the Global Partnership launched by Leaders in L'Aquila July 2009.

Participants agreed that smaller, informal discussions such as the Major Economies Forum contributed to success in Copenhagen and can facilitate and enrich the discussions under the UNFCCC, according to the chair's summary.