Severe test on climate change negotiations

Indeed, during the current United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Doha we will witness the continuation of diplomatic wrangling. It is premature to predict a deadlock or slow progress in multilateral negotiations in a field whose urgency and sensitivity are undisputable.

An interesting aspect deserves special attention and scrutiny during the Doha Conference. The 51 participants in the recent Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Vientiane, Laos, formulated significant commitments on the matter. They emphasised the importance of enhancing cooperation in tackling climate change, and reiterated the importance of working together to develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force as mandated by COP17 of the UNFCCC. They confirmed their commitment to fully implement the outcomes of the Bali Action Plan, the Cancun agreements and the Durban outcome. They also declared that they are committed to working together in areas including mitigation, adaptation, financing and technology transfer.

It remains to be seen to what extent the outcome of the Doha Conference will give visibility, if not tangibility, to the Asem commitments as a meaningful contribution to multilateral diplomacy whose practical role and value will be severely tested during Doha deliberations on climate change.

Ioan Voicu

Bangkok