Climate change concerns of small island states are brought to the negotiating table

Giving a voice to small states that are vulnerable to climate change was one of the main prerogatives of a recent workshop which brought together senior negotiators from across the world.

These representatives – from individual countries or international organisations – were given the opportunity to convey the key concerns of countries which have difficulty in fully engaging and taking part in the climate change negotiating process because of limited resources.

Addressing the workshop, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith explained that small island states which tend to have a small number of negotiators “often struggle to cover adequately the full range of discussions,” adding that “in some cases they are totally absent.”

Mr Smith observed that negotiators from these countries are likely to have a full in-tray with a number of responsibilities other than climate change.

“Many negotiators are drawn from departments that are stretched between multilateral environment agreements and environmental management at the national level,” he said.

Workshop marks first step of the Commonwealth’s Climate Change Action Plan

The workshop, which took place in Windsor, UK, between 24 and 27 May 2008, marks the start of a process agreed by Commonwealth Heads of Government on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda, last November when they agreed a Climate Change Action Plan.

Heads of Government called “to strengthen the quality and participation levels at international negotiations on climate change, such as assisting Commonwealth developing countries with their national negotiating capacity.”

This workshop gave representatives from small island states the chance to meet before the 28^th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, Germany next month and discuss priorities and strategies on how to meet their goals in the ongoing climate change negotiations.

Although climate change negotiations are ongoing, Carlos Fuller, Deputy Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, noted that this year is “particularly important” because discussions are focussing on a new regime that will begin in 2012.

Mr Fuller said that four issues, which are important to small island states, were identified during talks at the workshop. They are: how these countries adapt to climate change; how emissions of greenhouse gases can be reduced; the technology needed to address these points and finally the funding to make sure these targets are achieved.

Canary in the coalmine

Ambassador Angus Friday, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), emphasised that some countries with small populations have “limited capacity” to represent themselves effectively, research and interpret the scientific information on climate change and even take part in the negotiations themselves.

“A preparatory meeting has a huge impact on success in [forthcoming] negotiations. It is extremely useful and helps smaller countries have a voice,” said Ambassador Friday, who described AOSIS as “a canary in the coalmine ringing the warning bells about climate change.”

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