UNFCCC COP 22 - Key take-aways from negotiators

On November 21, hours after the closure of the UNFCCC COP in Marrakech, Executive Education @ the Graduate Institute Geneva, organised a round table on the outcomes of the Conference.

Four panellists form the European External Action Service of the EU, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNEP and academia got virtually together, for a one hour discussion. They were joined by 75 participants from all over the world who were able to ask questions to the panellists.

Here are our key take-aways from the discussion:

• Marrakech was about developing the rule book to implement the Paris Agreement, which symbolically entered into force on 4 November 2016, and negotiators are on the right track. “The direction is clear but the pace is not clear yet” said Prof. Vinuales, Adjunct Professor at the Graduate Institute & Harold Samuel Professor of law at Cambridge University.
• The US election results did not impact the motivation of States to continue on the path set in Paris. “There is no turning back” said Merlyn van Voore from UNEP. This was supported by the position taken by China during the negotiation. “China is moving ahead anyway” said Pascal Delisle from EEAS.
• Mohamed Nasr, Negotiator for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insisted that “ambition is key” and the financial discussions have been tense though things are moving ahead. One of the concerns of developing countries is to ensure adaptation receives as much attention as resilience.
• The challenge for the future is to manage complexity  generated by the increased involvement of non-state actors playing a more and more important role, “we have to invent the way these different parties connect with one another” said Pascal Delisle and "solve issues related to accountability for their pledges" added Mohamed Nasr.
• Prof. Vinuales concluded the discussion, raising the issue of investment law. Cases of investment with an environmental component have been booming in the past 3-4 years, “we have to integrate climate change in free trade and investment agreements” said Prof. Vinuales as “climate change action is going to be about investment”.

Full webinar recording

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