The Joint ACP-EU meeting held in Brussels on 28 and 29 May 2009 dialogued on cooperation between the ACP and EU countries as regards Climate Change policy and Development.
The Council noted that climate change is a serious global challenge which demands urgent, cooperative and shared responsibility to act since it is becoming a major threat to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by reversing progress made in the last decade. They noted their concerns about the most vulnerable populations live in developing countries, in particular in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States where sea level rise is urgent and threatening developmental issues, and countries in Africa affected by drought, desertification and floods.
Based on these concerns, among others, the Council agreed on the following:
At the international level and the UNFCCC process:
* Cooperate towards the successful conclusion of a post-2012 agreement under the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol and in the implementation of their respective commitments stressing the importance of properly addressing development issues in the ongoing negotiating process and in Copenhagen;
* Enhance their consultations in the context of the international negotiations on climate change, in all relevant international fora, including through joint initiatives and advocacy in their respective regions;
* Work together to mobilize political support for stronger action on climate change and to examine how the international framework could facilitate such action. This action should be guided by a shared vision for long term cooperative action and balanced gender participation. It should include perspectives on low-carbon development, climate-safe paths and enhanced climate resilience. Emphasize that the elements of the future climate change agreement should contribute to the necessary sustainable economic and social development of all ACP countries;
* Work together to allow ACP countries to harvest greater benefits from the potentials of the Clean Development Mechanism;
* Continue to build capacity and strengthen the effectiveness of ACP countries’ participation in the climate negotiations;
* Take into account the soil carbon storage capacity in emission mitigation measures and promote sustainable land management and biodiversity preservation activities as a means to improve the resilience of environmental, economic and social systems, and in particular of agriculture, to climate change.
At the level of the European Community and its Member States’ development cooperation with ACP States through their respective cooperation agreements, including the Cotonou Agreement:
* Develop and/or Shape meaningful cooperation activities, building on the priorities of the 2008 declarations between the EU and the ACP regions, through all appropriate instruments and initiatives underlining in this respect the important contribution of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Adaptation Fund and EU development assistance including bilateral actions and the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), as well as the contribution of other multilateral development programmes and funds, notably those of the UN and the World Bank, such as the Climate Investment Funds;
* Work primarily on the basis of the Intra-ACP Cooperation under the 10th EDF as outlined in the corresponding Strategy Paper and Multiannual Indicative Programme (2008- 2013) as a priority in 2009 for the prompt design of support programmes in the climate change domain including desertification, land degradation, deforestation and scarcity of water jointly identified as an immediate priority area for action to the benefit of ACP countries and regions;
* Cooperate to help ACP countries to adapt to climate change by reducing risks related to natural disasters and manage them better while supporting the integration of disaster risk reduction into policies and planning, in particular national development and poverty reduction strategies focussing on the prevention, mitigation and preparedness components;
* Agree to seek ways to facilitate the flow of environmental goods, and to facilitate and support the transfer of environmentally sustainable technology into ACP States;
* Agree to enhance dialogue, involving relevant stakeholders at country and regional levels and to improve the integration of climate change considerations into ACP country and regional development and poverty reduction strategies.
