United Nations: News and Updates from the International Organization. - Bonn meeting pursues climate funding resolution
Over 6,000 professionals from across the globe have gathered in Bonn since Monday to find a resolution for the contentious topic of climate finance. Since 2009, the aim has been for developed nations to provide immense financial aid to developing countries on an annual basis. This goal was reaffirmed in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 and extended until 2025. In 2022, the goal of $100 billion per year was finally reached for the first time. However, the main concern now is what will happen after 2025. The forthcoming World Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan in November is expected to make a definitive decision regarding this matter.
United Nations Climate Chief Simon Stiell urged participants at the opening ceremony on Monday held at the World Conference Center in Bonn to do more. "Time is not on our side," said the Grenadian politician. "It's clear that climate protection measures need to happen at a much swifter pace."
Bonn is home to the UN Climate Secretariat, making it the location for the yearly ten-day interim conference that is held to prepare for the following World Climate Conference. The current conference holds more significance due to the controversial financial issue. "Bonn is crucial as it allows the parties to at least signal where they could move forward," said David Ryfisch, climate expert at Germanwatch, to the German Press Agency. "We need to rebuild trust, given that the $100 billion per year target was only achieved in 2022, resulting in a lack of trust between developed and developing countries."
Rich countries of the Global North are requesting that not just they, but also nations such as the Gulf States, participate in climate funding. "The problem is that there's a significant deficit between the required funding and what's currently provided," stated Ryfisch.
It is unlikely that any concrete drafts will be presented in Bonn. "Yet, the discussions will be highly intense," predicts the climate expert from the aid organization Oxfam, Jan Kowalzig. "In the last few years, only technical expert talks have taken place, but this year, actual negotiations will occur," Kowalzig shared with dpa. "That's why this round in Bonn is so important. We eagerly await how the negotiations unfold."
According to a UNICEF report released on Monday, extreme heat and air pollution can have severe repercussions on newborns and young children, including mortality. Child malnutrition, which accounts for almost half of all child deaths under five years of age, is projected to worsen due to climate change. Additionally, life-threatening illnesses like malaria are expected to spread further.
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- The UN Climate Chief, Simon Stiell, urged participants at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn to increase their efforts in addressing climate financing, emphasizing that "time is not on our side."
- The Bonn meeting is significant due to its location in Germany, home to the UN Climate Secretariat, and its focus on climate financing, which is crucial for meeting the goal of $100 billion per year set in the Paris Agreement.
- The World Climate Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan in November will play a decisive role in determining the future of climate financing beyond 2025, as developed and developing countries aim to reach a consensus on this matter.
- Climate expert David Ryfisch from Germanwatch highlighted the importance of rebuilding trust between developed and developing countries due to the delayed achievement of the $100 billion per year target in 2022.
- Oxfam climate expert Jan Kowalzig anticipated intense negotiations at the Bonn conference, as the recent focus on technical expert talks has now shifted to actual negotiations on climate financing, making this round in Bonn particularly crucial.
