Brussels, 20/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - After more than a fortnight of laborious negotiations, the United Nations climate change conference that ended on Friday in Nairobi agreed on a calendar for revising the Kyoto Protocol. This has set out 2008 as the date for beginning negotiations on what strategies after 2012 can be implemented for fighting “greenhouse gases”, when current provisions in the protocol expire. The conference resulted in a series of decisions and new initiatives to support developing countries, which are the most vulnerable to climate change and help them to adapt to climate change.
On this point the conference finalised a five-year work plan which will allow for work to begin immediately. The different parties also agreed to the principle of setting up an Adaptation to Climate Change Fund, which will help countries from the North fund low carbon producing projects in the South, but nothing has so far been said about its management. African countries are refusing for it to be managed by the World Environment Fund, mainly controlled by the World Bank, and therefore by the United States, the biggest producer of green house gases and which has not even approved the Kyoto Protocol. Finally, an agreement was made on launching an appeal for tender to determine what organisation would be in charge of the Adaptation Fund. The fund is expected to have an envelope of around €300 million for 2008-12 (EUROPE 9308). UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan also announced an aid fund for Africa in the field of clean technology projects, which the continent has only been able to take advantage of to a limited extent.
Overall, the EU in Nairobi welcomed these advances, as well as the decision of beginning work in 2008 to prepare for “post Kyoto”.
The Finnish Environment Minister Jan-Erik Enestam, who led the EU at the conference, said: “The Nairobi climate change conference has been a success and I congratulate Kenya on this achievement. The European Union has achieved all its main priorities and continues to lead the battle against climate change. We came here above all to drive progress on adaptation issues and pave the way for strong further action to cut emissions, and that is what we have done. Now we need to ensure that action follows urgently.”
The European Commissioner for Environment was also pleased with the decisions taken to help developing countries fight climate change and the decision to begin negotiations in 2008 on what measures to take after 2012. In this respect Stavros Dimas highlighted the need for the international community to “step up efforts to complete the process as soon as possible”. The German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel continued in the same vein, declaring, “During Germany's…presidency of the EU and the G8 I will work together with our partners to inject greater urgency and momentum into the international process of driving down emissions”.