#24 November 2011

Dear Readers,

Next week in Durban, South Africa, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet for the 17th time to advance critical negotiations on an agreement to supersede the Kyoto Protocol and ensure a legally binding commitment to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

You can read more on the UN-REDD Programme’s activities at COP17 in the News section of this month’s newsletter.

The UN-REDD Programme is aware of the overarching issues at stake in the UNFCCC negotiations in Durban, including the importance of agreeing on ways to advance the implementation of the Cancun Agreements that emerged from COP16, and ensure meaningful action to limit global warming. The Programme will focus especially on the expected progress to be made in the REDD+ negotiations at COP17, including agreements on funding for the full implementation of REDD+, and on the guidelines of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) regarding systems for providing information on how safeguards are addressed and respected, and for setting reference levels. The UN-REDD Programme recognizes that it is crucial to agree on instruments and mechanisms to promote reduction of emissions from all sectors—not just forests—which will require greater commitment and ambition from all parties.

The Green Climate Fund agreed to in Cancun is expected to be established in Durban, including its governance bodies, financial instruments, funding windows and modalities for access. Having the Green Climate Fund operational is of critical importance for developing countries, as it will provide support to mitigation and adaptation actions undertaken by these countries, as well as supporting technology transfer and capacity building.

During the UNFCCC’s COPs of the past few years, REDD+ has remained an area of the negotiation where developing and developed countries have been able to find common ground. The REDD+ community is optimistic and looking forward to seeing a similar spirit of collaboration and compromise in other areas of the negotiations at COP17, so that the UNFCCC process can deliver a robust climate change agreement urgently needed to protect our planet for generations to come.

Yemi Katerere

Head of the UN-REDD Programme Secretariat