Informing Legal Form

6 October 2011

Judging by the number of delegates and observers crowding the room over the last two days, there is certainly a keen interest in the legal form of the LCA outcome.  ECO welcomes these discussions and urges the Parties to build on the bare bones outline of legal form options presented yesterday, by adding specific content that can inform deliberations in Durban.   ECO is impressed by the surprisingly constructive tone and substantive content of the discussions.  We can only imagine what would happen if a second commitment period under the KP were  adopted!   

While we recognize the often repeated line that form should follow function, we echo Colombia’s point that negotiators need some sense of where they are headed – a political declaration is very different from a long-term binding regime.  ECO is appreciative that the meetings of the group are open to observers. We note however, that some confusion remains concerning the degree of “bindingness” of different legal options.  We offer the brief table below to clarify.