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The
23rd session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties ended on November 18,
2017, after a long night in which governments worked to complete the final
negotiation decisions.

A
new wave of climate action has been announced during COP23 from countries,
states, regions, cities, businesses and civil society.

The
common message has been that action to get on track towards the objectives of
the Paris Climate Change Agreement and to achieve the 2030 Agenda is urgent and
time is running out.

One
of the main outcomes of COP23 is the document  “
Fiji Momentum forImplementation
by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The document
aims to provide the general requirements to foster the next efforts to achieve
the Paris Agreement work programme by 2018
and to enhance the pre-2020
implementation and ambition
.

Moreover,
UNFCCC welcomes the design of the 2018 facilitative dialogue, known as the “Talanoa
dialogue
” (“Talanoa” is a traditional word used in Fiji and the
Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent
dialogue), announced at COP23 by the Presidents.

Crucial
elements of the Talanoa dialogue are specified in the Annex II of the document.
The dialogue will start in January 2018 and close at COP24 Katowice, jointly
presided by Fijian and Polish Presidency. Three main questions will guide the
process: i) Where are we? ii) Where do we want to go? iii) How do we get there?
The process will consist of two phases: a preparatory phase, from January 2018
to COP24, in which reports on each of the three issues will be prepared,
 and a political phase, that will be held during COP24, where high-level
state representatives will undertake political discussions to take stock of the
advancement towards the Paris objectives.

By
launching the next steps on action prior to 2020, the most relevant provisions
included in the COP23 final document are: i) the request to the UNFCCC and the
UN Secretary General to enhance activities to promote the ratification of the
“Doha Amendment”
, which established the second commitment period of the “Kyoto
Protocol”; ii) the invitation to Parties to submit by 1 May 2018 additional
information on acting progresses prior to 2020; iii) the request to the
secretariat to prepare a synthesis report of the above mentioned submissions,
to serve as an input for the facilitative dialogue in 2018; iv) to convene a
stock take of pre-2020 actions both in 2018 at COP24  and in 2019 at
COP25
.

Beyond
the progress on setting the ground for discussion to resume next May, COP23 is
being celebrated because it has been particularly successful in  advancing
some important issues.

The final text requests the UNFCCC bodies for
Technological Advice and for Implementation to address issues related to
agriculture and invites Parties to submit, by 31 March 2018, their views on
several elements for tackling these issues.

Moreover,
COP23 established an “expert dialogue
 in 2018 to address the issue of the International
Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts
.
Climate-related disasters have affected many countries, including heatwaves,
drought, floods, cyclones, and other extreme weather events, as well as the
increasing impacts associated with slow onset events. It is crucial to avert,
minimize and address these impacts through comprehensive risk management
approaches and build back and forward better, social protection instruments.

Another
important success of COP23 is the
creation of a new platform for local communities and indigenous
peoples to strengthen their knowledge, technologies, practices and efforts on
climate change
. Moreover, the 
Gender Plan of Action contains five priorities areas, established to
advance women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and promote
gender-responsive climate policy
.

Finance
was overall among the most contentious issues discussed during this COP. After
solving the 
debate on the Adaption Fund by recognizing its role within the
framework of the Paris Agreement (it was indeed launched under the Kyoto
Protocol), the article 9.5 of the Paris Agreement on the information to be
provided by Parties on long-term finance kept delegates hostage of the
Conference up to Saturday early morning. Finally a
 text was delivered, which reiterates that developed country
Parties shall biennially communicate indicative quantitative and qualitative
information on financial support but actually postpones the decision on the
type of  information to be provided to
the next intersessional meetings.


Find out more about COP23 conclusions on the ICCG Climate Policy Observer website!
Climate
Policy Observer (CPO) is the online platform on climate and energy policies run
by the FEEM’s Initiative on Climate Change policy and Governance (ICCG). CPO aims at explaining current international events on climate change in their
political, economic and social implications.