9 May 2016

LRI was invited again to participate in a workshop organised in Douala, Cameroon on 2-4 May 2016 by COMIFAC, the Central African forests Commission. The objectives of the workshop were to unpack the Paris Agreement and its implications for the Congo Basin countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and São Tomé and Principe) in order to enable these countries to put together an action plan of implementation of decisions taken in Paris, to review the countries’ INDCs and to prepare for the next meeting of the subsidiary bodies (SB44).

It was attended by approximately 30 participants, made up of the countries’ national focal points, lawyers from the relevant ministries, REDD+ national coordinators, COMIFAC representatives and funding partners.

LRI presented on the outcomes of the Paris Agreement, commitments made by developing countries, entry into force process and next steps, whilst others focused on climate finance and INDCs analysis.

This workshop was followed by another one on 5-7 May, organised by the Conférence sur les Ecosystèmes des Forêts Denses et Humides d’Afrique Centrale (CEFDHAC), a platform for the protection and sustainable management of Central African forests that serves as a forum for discussion and coordination between the main stakeholders, including goverment representatives, parliamentarians, the private sector, NGOs and other civil society organisations. Participants numbered 50. LRI presented on the main elements of the Paris Agreement and implications for countries in the region.

21 April 2016

Working under the umbrella of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), LRI with the International Institute of Environment and Development and Oxford Climate Policy has published a “pocket guide” on the Paris Agreement.

The Guide summarizes the key provisions of the new climate agreement, which was adopted in Paris on 12 December 2015, at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It will be open for signature by governments in New York from tomorrow (22 April 2016).

The Guide is meant as a companion for government and non-government participants in the negotiations under the Ad Hoc Group on the Paris Agreement (APA), and also for national-level stakeholders who wish to understand what the Paris Agreement means for national-level implementation.

An electronic version can be downloaded here: https://legalresponse.org/legaladvice/pocket-guide-to-the-paris-agreement/ For hard-copies, please contact Anju Sharma, Head of the ecbi Publications and Policy Analysis Unit: Anju.Sharma@OxfordClimatePolicy.org

18 April 2016

The european capacity ­building initiative (ecbi) organised a two-­day capacity ­building workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 14 to 15 April 2016 for junior developing country negotiators. LRI is one of the ecbi lead organisations and LRI lawyer Subhi Barakat presented at the workshop on a variety of issues.

The workshop brought together participants from eight different countries, including least developed countries and a small island developing state. Half of the participants were women, and half of the presenters were from developing countries.

Few participants were already familiar with the climate change regime, few were lawyers and almost none had attended negotiation sessions in the past. The workshop covered all aspects of the climate negotiations and focussed on the Paris Agreement and next steps for developing countries.

LRI facilitated sessions on mitigation and practical negotiation skills. Participants were encouraged to engage in discussions and also took part in mock drafting and negotiation sessions.

10 March 2016

Pic by MNED KAS Brussels

LRI attended a workshop in Brussels co-hosted by the Multinational Development Policy Dialogue of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and Climate Strategies on “Balancing responsibility and solidarity in international climate negotiations”.

Under the new climate agreement adopted in Paris, parties have moved away from the formal differentiation between developed and developing countries established under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. However, the historical responsibility of industrialised countries for greenhouse gas emissions remains an important issue in the negotiations. This could intensify as climate impacts become more severe, and developing countries increasingly need to take adaptation action.

The workshop was part of a project to explore how the international community may recognize historical responsibility while facilitating forward-oriented and country-driven climate action by all parties. It focused on one possible set of tools developed specifically to manage and resolve conflicts and facilitate changes to the existing regime – transitional justice processes.

Speakers presented approaches, tools and lessons learnt from transitional justice experiences in different jurisdictions (e.g. South Africa). Participants had different views on whether and to what extent these may be relevant in the climate change context. LRI director Christoph Schwarte gave a presentation on legal issues, including loss and damage. The debate will contribute to the development of politically oriented, concrete proposals for the international climate context.

17 February 2016

On 4 February over 60 participants reflected on some of the key take aways from Paris, including the setting of a new long term temperature goal, the pivotal role of nationally determined contributions (known as”NDCs”) and the increasing space given to non-state actors.

Discussions were led by a panel made up of Sam Bickersteth (Climate and Development Knowledge Network), James Cameron (Overseas Department Institute), Kate Cook (Matrix), Christoph Schwarte (LRI) and Philippe Sands QC (Matrix and UCL) as chair.

The audience was taken through some of the key substantive elements and features of the Agreement, such as as its focus on mitigation, inclusiveness, progressive approach, emphasis on scrutiny and accountability and how the Agreement strengthens the global response to climate change, and the key priorities for 2016: agreeing details of the new international climate architecture as well as translating NDCs into real action through implementation of national plans and policies.

The presentations generated some lively discussions on issues around enforceability, what to do about free riders and opportunities for financial markets.

Ppt slides can be accessed at LRI on PA 4 Feb