G77, China calls on developed countries to provide support to tackle climate issues

The chairperson of the G77 and China Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko called on developed countries to provide the necessary support to developing countries to tackle climate change during the opening of the high-level segment of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) on Monday.

"We repeatedly call on developed countries to provide the necessary support to enable the members of the Group to take on their fair share of the global effort," Mxakato-Diseko said, reaffirming the G77 and China's commitment to address the global challenge of climate change.

She stressed the fact that developing countries, where the vast majority of world's people live in poverty, have already taken ambitious steps to address climate change, mostly "without adequate finance, technology and capacity-building support."

As the first victims of climate change, nearly all developing countries have submitted their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) that state the ambitious actions they intend for the post-2020 period.

"Many of these INDCs include a component on adaptation and action which we have to take as a result mostly of the historical emissions by developed countries," Mxakato-Diseko stressed, adding: "This was done without any concrete reassurances from our partners that post-2020 support will be available."

The chairperson of the G77 and China said adaptation and mitigation must be a priority as must other core elements mandated by the Durban mandate, and must be "supported by finance, technology development and transfer and capacity-building by developed country parties."

She called on developed country parties to take the lead through undertaking ambitious emission reduction commitments and providing enhanced finance, technology development and transfer and capacity-building support.

"Finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building are crucial and key elements of the Paris outcome," she added.

"The outcome regarding finance must provide clarity on the level of financial support that will be provided by developed country parties to developing country parties to allow for enhanced implementation of the Convention in the post-2020 period, as well as existing commitment on pre-2020 finance," Mxakato-Diseko stressed.

In order to boost the full mitigation potential of developing countries and to allow developing countries to adapt to climate change, both "pre and post-2020 support is essential."

Representing about 85 percent of the world's population, the G77 and China is committed to tackling climate issues in a manner that allows "flexibility to developing countries to pursue their sustainable development priorities," Mxakato-Diseko told the participants of the ceremony.

She added the final Paris agreement "must be based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities." Endit