CANCUN: SEAL THE DEAL, ACT ALLIANCE DEMANDS


Geneva, November 26 2010.  One of the world's largest humanitarian and development networks is demanding heads of state lay the groundwork for a legally binding climate agreement in Cancun next week for the sake of the world’s poor and powerless.

The demand was issued by ACT Alliance General Secretary John Nduna in the countdown to the Cop16 climate negotiations beginning in Mexico on November 29. "The poor bear the least responsibility for climate change yet suffer its consequences the most," Nduna said.

Negotiators had a moral obligation to find a legal framework that could be set in stone at the make-or-break summit set to be held in South Africa in December 2011, he said. "This is a matter of urgency for all humankind. Achieving significant steps towards an agreement now is a prerequisite for a successful outcome in South Africa next year."

"World leaders must not allow Cancun to become another Copenhagen," said Nduna, referring to last year's disappointing round of discussions which failed to strike a deal and at which no developed country made the first move on adequate emissions cuts.

ACT Alliance argues the negotiations must make progress in five areas that negotiators failed to resolve at the COP15 talks in Copenhagen last year.

Cancun must clarify the legal form for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiation outcome hoped for in South Africa. Negotiations have been on two tracks: a post-Kyoto protocol and another covering other climate change issues and involving countries not in Kyoto. The Copenhagen Accord contributed to the lack of clarity about the kind of result the process was seeking.  

ACT Alliance also argues it is crucial the negotiation has more ambitious offers on emission cuts and finance from the main industrialised countries. It must take concrete steps towards a mechanism for enforcing nations' promises on climate. It must agree on a fund to finance climate change mitigation and adaption measures in developing countries, with costs being borne mainly by developed nations, which are the worst climate offenders.

ACT Alliance also believes negotiators must ensure global warming does not exceed 1.5 degrees celsius - half a degree less than the target that has formed the basis of negotiations to date.

About ACT Alliance
ACT Alliance is a global network of 105 church and church-related organisations that specialise in humanitarian assistance and long-term development in over 140 countries, with 33,000 staff and volunteers around the world working to a global budget of $1.6 billion. Most ACT Alliance members are from globally poor countries, working at grass roots level and immersed in the culture of the places they are based. After the Catholic network Caritas, ACT Alliance is the world’s second-largest faith-based humanitarian, development and advocacy network. Members operate from an egalitarian belief in treating all people with dignity, and a commitment to serving people of all faiths and none. The alliance is a signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct, which forbids humanitarian organisations from using aid to push political or religious messages.

ACT Alliance's website is at www.actalliance.org

Contact

For further information about ACT Alliance’s position on Cancun, please contact:

ACT Alliance's climate change reporter:
Mattias Söderberg
Phone: +45-29700609
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ACT Alliance climate change delegate:
Katri Suomi
Ph +358 50 326 3487
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For general enquiries about the ACT Alliance, please contact:

Sandra Cox, Communications Officer on +41 22 791 6711 or +41 79 681 1868