Lisa Williams-Lahari, Climate Pasifika media team
Saturday 19 December 2009, COPENHAGEN--As tiny Tuvalu took on India and other nations this morning over keeping or tossing a reference to legally binding text in mind for the next COP meeting, Pacific teams and other small islands states are winging their ways back home as bearers of the bad news: no consensus, a lot of secrecy and exclusion, and a confusing side-deal which blocks anyone who refuses to sign from accessing the US-100billion incentive to join the list of parties associated with the new Copenhagen Accord.
Meanwhile, negotiators and officials continued a bleary eyed and frustrated round of agenda items, comment for the record, questions and farewells after some 48 hours of stop-start wrangling at the Bella Centre. They were delivered a late call to rally by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Moon made the most of a lull created after a heated to and fro over a bid by Tuvalu to try and keep a commitment to a legally binding outcome on the table for COP16 in Mexico. Tuvalu has already seen its draft Copenhagen protocol, submitted in line with COP meeting rules and procedures, be virtually ignored as COP process took a dive at this event. Tuvalu's call for some direction and focus on legally binding agreements was taken up by the UN Secretary General, saying legally binding language was needed to build on the controversial Copenhagen Accord tabled by US President Barack Obama and endorsed by some 24 world leaders.
Without the legally binding text, Moon said it would be difficult to codify and check against progress in a transparent way.
He said the launch of a Copenhagen green climate fund as soon as possible would help to boost clean energy initiatives in developing countries.
Finally, he urged delegates to "pursue the road of higher ambition, not follow the path of least resistance" as the consequences of not doing so would be serious. "Collective action is the only effective action" he reminded the plenary.
Bangladesh and Pakistan captured the dejected mood of many departing Denmark this weekend, especially as they came expecting to deliver good news to constituents at home.
Pakistan said it was clear the COPs procedural gaps needed to be addressed as much as the gaps in trust between countries. "Good faith does not necessarily lead to good results...transparency is tough, and time-consuming, but the agreements reached that way are more durable, and carry strong ownership," a delegation member said.--ENDS
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