2018 is a critical year in our ongoing battle to combat climate change. With the close of COP 23, we have the stage set before us. Substantial work lies ahead, and failure is not an option especially for the millions of people who are in the frontlines of climate impacts.
We call on Parties to accelerate progress and engage in technical negotiations to adopt robust and balanced implementation guidelines in 2018. We also urge Parties to take full advantage of the Talanoa Dialogue for a comprehensive assessment of where we are and commit to step up pre- and post- 2020 ambition to get where we want to be. We are disappointed that at the first Pacific COP, and in the face of increasing extreme weather events and continuous rising emissions, outcomes on loss and damage and finance show a brutal disconnect between the support provided and the reality of climate impacts.
We welcome the open dialogue conducted by the Fiji presidency in the spirit of Talanoa and it is our hope that this sets a precedent or acknowledging the important part that civil society plays in climate action and support. We welcome the progress made on agriculture, in the indigenous peoples’ platform and the Gender Action Plan. We urge Parties to immediately start turning these decisions into genuine action.
