nrg4SD in UNFCCC COP 16 Cancun

Cancun, Mexico

Subnational Governments at the Forefront of Climate Action - nrg4SD press materials, papers and other documents for COP 16 - Side events organised by nrg4SD

Subnational Governments at the Forefront of Climate Action

From 29 November to 10 December 2010 took place the 16 round  of  negotiations  of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) under the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico.

One more tound, thanks to its official accreditation to UNFCCC, nrg4SD worked  for iinfluencing the negotiations process jointly with its member regions and also with long-term key partners - such as Local  Governments for Sustainability ICLEI or United Cities and Local Governments UCLG or The Climate Group.

With nrg4SD regions such as Catalonia (ES), Québec (CA), São Paulo (BR) or Wales (UK) being part of their respective national delegations to UNFCCC, nrg4SD has the opportunity of working directly with some Parties to the Convention (nations/states) towards the recognition of the crucial role of subnational governments in climate action.

This line of work is also carried out by nrg4SD in the run up to COP meetings (the so-called pre-COPs). In 2010, Catalonia and Québec coordinated the contributions to the works of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action AWG-LCA jointly prepared by nrg4SD and The Climate Group and presented at pre-COP sessions in Bonn (June) and Tianjin (October).

Also in preparation of the negotiations in Cancun, under our European stream of activities, nrg4SD and its Vice-President-Focal Point for Europe, the region of Brittany (FR), organised on 25 October 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, the event “Cancun -30: Regions delivering Climate action – A discussion session between key players”. The event was accompanied by the preparation of a nrg4SD Position Paper targeted to European Union (EU) institutions. Thansk to  to the excellent mobilisation of nrg4SD European regions - and also Quebec's Delegation to the EU - we are in a position to illustrate our arguments to the EU with specific case studies from Aquitaine (FR), Basque Country (ES), Brittany (FR), Canarias (ES), Catalonia (FR), Flanders (BE), Province-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur PACA (FR), Quebec (CA), Rhône-Alpes (FR), Wales (UK), Wallonia (BE). More information on the event is available here.

In Cancun, for the first time ever, subnational governments have gained full recognition in an UNFCCC agreement. The text on Long-Term Cooperative Action “recognises the need to engage a broad range of stakeholders at global, regional, national and local levels, be they government, including subnational and local government (…)” and “invites all Parties to enhance action on adaptation under the Cancun Adaptation Framework, taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and specific national and regional development priorities (…)”. Planning, prioritising and implementing adaptation actions (…) should be “identified in national and subnational adaptation plans and strategies”, it adds. When it comes to the text on Further Commitments of the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), it is decided that, “where appropriate, in order to enhance the environmental integrity, efficiency and regional distribution of the Clean Development Mechanism, standardised baselines shall be used on a national or subnational level (…)”.

This wording constitutes a clear message for the regional level to capitalise on, in order to keep turning citizens’ growing awareness of climate matters into daily action. It also represents an unprecedented context for subnational governments to contribute to adapting international climate change governance to modern times. Ahead of nrg4SD and its member regions are promising months for subnational governments to build upon this important first milestone, with eyes set on COP 17, in Durban, South Africa, at the end of 2011.

A schedule of nrg4SD activities in Cancun is available here. An overview is provided below.

The nrg4SD delegate list to COP 16 is available here.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us on nrg4sd@nrg4sd.org.


nrg4SD press materials, papers and other documents for COP 16

Press clippings

• Where to find nrg4SD in COP 16?
• Subnational governments at the forefront of climate action

Media coverage

• The Stakeholder Forum publication Outreach during COP 16
• Day 2 edition -30 November 2010
• Day 4 edition - 2 December 2010
• Day 9 - Last edition - 9 December 2010
• Le Monde - Regions: An operational level in climate change action (in FR) - comment by President of Brittany's Regional Council and nrg4SD Continental Focal Point for Europe Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian
• El Periódico de Quintana Roo - COP16 seen from the inside (in ES) - interview with nrg4SD Secretary General Mrs. Maruxa Cardama

Brochures and Papers

• Brochure 'Subnational Governments at the Forefront of Climate Action'
• Technical Amendments to the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action AWG-LCA
• European Position Paper 'Regions: Conscientious and influential partners in climate action'
• Comment on COP16 outcomes - 12 December 2010 'The Tale of the 3 Success Stories' by nrg4SD Secretary General Mrs. Maruxa Cardama

Side events organised by nrg4SD

• 7 December 2010 - 'A clean revolution for all: developing and developed regions working  together' - Session co-organised by nrg4SD, The °Climate Group and UNDP within the programme of The Climate Leaders’ Summit of The °Climate Group.
• 8 December 2010 - 'Subnational Governments: Key Actors in the Challenge of Climate Change' - Governmental breakfast meeting co-organised by Mexican ANAAE, CONAGO and nrg4SD.
• 8 December 2010 - 'Subnational Governments at the Forefront of Climate Action’ - An international exchange of good practice co-organised by Mexican ANAAE, CONAGO and nrg4SD.
• 9 December 2010 - 'Plans and Pilots: An International Axis for Low Carbon Development Strategies at Subnational Level' - Official side event co-organised by The °Climate Group and nrg4SD.
• 9 December 2010 - Press conference on the recognition of subnational and local authorities in UNFCCC negotiations – with Mrs Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in the Wales Government Assembly on behalf of nrg4SD - Co-organised by the United Cites and Local Governments UCLG.