Do Not Lose Sight of the Vision

18 May 2017

The preamble of the Paris Agreement offers a vision of a world that we can all embrace. Parties outlined a joint vision of collective action addressing climate change in a manner that builds on equity; protects the integrity of ecosystems; promotes the rights of those on the front lines of climate impacts and climate responses; and empowers communities.

 

Now it is time to place this beautiful vision at the core of the implementation of the Paris Agreement. For the APA to best set the path toward fully implementing the Paris Agreement, Parties must consider how the principles outlined in the preamble should guide national climate action and international cooperation.

 

ECO is concerned that this vision is being lost in the midst of technical negotiations. So far, those discussions taking place under APA have failed to consider how the NDCs, the adaptation communications, the transparency framework, and the global stocktake can promote sufficient climate action and ambition in a manner that recognises important linkages between these mechanisms and the principles reaffirmed in the preamble. These issues must be brought back to the table so as to maximize the benefits of climate action for all people and ecosystems.

 

As Parties prepare for COP-23, ECO calls on all delegates, and that requires constant attention, to linking the technical negotiations to the preamble vision, so that this process can deliver on all the promises made in Paris.