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Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 18, 2018 (SKNIS): Representatives from St. Kitts and Nevis were among over 3400 government officials and observers including delegates from the United Nations (UN) bodies and agencies, intergovernmental organizations and civil society who participated in the recently concluded 2018 Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.

 

Cheryl Jeffers, Conservation Officer in the Department of Environment, said that the conference provided attendees an opportunity to focus on advancing the work on the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP).

 

“Progress is required to develop the “operating manual” or “Paris Rulebook” of the landmark Paris Agreement. This practical and technical operating manual is needed to implement the Paris Agreement and will guide questions such as what climate pledges should look like and how financial support should be tracked. The Paris ‘rulebook’ must be finalized at Conference of Parties (COP) 24 in Katowice, Poland,” she said.  “Another important area of discussion that took place was the Talanoa Dialogue.  The Talanoa Dialogue is built on the Pacific storytelling tradition, of being “inclusive, transparent and participatory”. It seeks to assess global efforts to meet the Agreement’s long-term mitigation goal and is intended to inform parties’ future nationally determined contributions (NDCs).”

 

She added that although much was covered at the conference there is still work to be done and St. Kitts and Nevis will ensure that such is achieved.

 

“Leaving Bonn, it is increasingly clear where we are, where we want to go, and how we hope to achieve success at COP 24. Although some progress was made, there is still much work to be done as it relates to successfully adopting the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP),” said Ms. Jeffers, adding that the next meeting will “focus on a strong emphasis on forging a shared and inclusive vision for climate action that will inspire key parties to finish what was started in Paris.”

Ms. Jeffers was accompanied by June Hughes, Senior Environment Officer in the Department of Environment. 

The Bonn Climate Change Conference convened all three of the subsidiary bodies of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The conference included the 48th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 48), and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 48), and the fifth session of the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-5).