BY PRIESTLEY HABRU

In Bonn, Germany

SOLOMON Islands work programme on the Paris Agreement is slow, says the country’s head of delegation to the 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Dr Melchior Mataki.

The Permanent Secretary of the country’s Ministry Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology said the 2015 Paris Agreement is a near universal Agreement signed by 195 countries and ratified by 170 Parties, including Solomon Islands.

As such Solomon Islands has a mandate to operationalise the Agreement by 2018.

“Regrettably, progress on the Paris Agreement work programme is slow. Substantive discussions have yet to begin. A clear and defined roadmap into 2018 with milestones to complete our work is needed before we leave Bonn,” he told delegates and heads of states in the High Level Segment Statements of COP23 in Bonn on Thursday afternoon.

Mataki said ambition under the Paris Agreement remains low.

“To date we have a run-away climate change, global temperature continues to rise to 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre industrial level. Ocean acidification is now at 403 parts per million after the Paris Agreement was adopted.

“We are heading for a 3 degrees Celsius world; as such we need to decarbonise our economies, and keep coal in the ground.”

He told COP23 President and Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama that Solomon Islands is committed to work with Fiji through the Talanoa Dialogue review and enhance “our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to put us back on a 1.5 degrees Celsius trajectory, guided by IPCC’s (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Special 1.5 degrees Celsius Report due out next year”.

Mataki said in doing so it would preserve the credibility and integrity of the Paris Agreement.

“My delegation calls for more Pre-2020 action, in particular those who have not signed the Doha Amendment to do so with a sense of urgency to put the Paris Agreement on a firmer foundation by 2020.

“On adaptation, Solomon Islands considers the Adaptation Fund to serve the Paris Agreement a natural step, we support the draft decision by G77 and China and hope to see this effected at this COP.

“On Loss and Damage (L&D) as climate change continues to define our future, we look to your leadership, to have L&D be a standing Subsidiary Bodies Agenda noting we have loss and damage activities in SBI 2018 and 2019.”

Mataki shares that it was sad the United States of America have announced its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. And Solomon Islands finds this regrettable.

“We call on the United States to take leadership in climate action, and not to stand in the way of current negotiations.

“Combating climate change requires our collective action; every country should be part of the solution, Solomon Islands supports the Republic of China (Taiwan)’s meaningful participation within the UNFCCC process. Let Taiwan help.”

He said Solomon Islands also welcomes the signing of the World Bank and Green Climate Fund Accreditation Master Agreement on Monday this week.

“This development will see funds roll out for our Tina River Hydropower Project.”

The hydro-power project has sourced USD86 million under GEF which when up and running would provide electricity for capital Honiara and saving the national government from purchasing and importing fuel.

Another achievement Mataki highlighted in his statement was the historical adoption of the Indigenous Peoples Platform in COP23.

“Solomon Islands celebrates the operationalisation of the local communities and indigenous People’s platform and look forward to discussion on the structure of the engagement of the Platform with the UNFCCC process.

He added that ‘below 1.5 degrees to stay alive remains’ Solomon Islands call.

“The Paris Agreement is our last line of defence; we must work constructively to make the Agreement work for humanity.”

Mataki said COP23 was a historic COP for Solomon Islands in that after two decades of COP, he was indeed proud to see a first Island President takes on the Presidency of COP 23.

“Even more special to see a Pacific Islander and a neighbour take on the global task. Solomon Islands assure you of our support during your tenure in office,” he told COP23’s President Bainimarama.

BY JARED KOLI

IN BONN, GERMANY

GREATER coordination is needed in the management of Climate Finance, says Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) Dr Melchior Mataki at the global climate change talks (COP23) in Bonn, Germany this week.

Dr Melchior was speaking as a panellist at a side event dubbed “Accessing and Managing Climate Change Finance – Experiences from the Pacific Region”.

Dr Melchior acknowledged that Solomon Islands has accessed a significant amount of funding, with majority of funding coming from multilateral sources (54 percent) and the remaining 46 percent from bilateral sources.

But, he said, “While a number of government and non-government agencies are implementing climate change and disaster related activities, they are operating in silos and greater coordination is needed. Further improvements in vertical and horizontal engagement and coordination with line ministries would augment institutional strengthening.”

Dr Melchior said direct access to global climate change funds such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other international funding sources require robust PFM systems to meet necessary fiduciary standards.

“Serious reforms are still required, particularly in the pursuit for accreditation. The National Transport Fund was found to be best placed as a potential NIE to the GCF, specific to the transport sector, while the Ministry of Finance and Treasury potentially could be strengthened as a candidate for multi-sector projects.

“While there is sufficient capacity to access and manage international climate change and disaster risk financing at the national level, serious limitations exist at the sub- national or provincial level,” he said.

Dr Melchior said coordinating and capitalising on the different expertise that exist in different agencies is also challenging. An opportunity exists in capitalising on the NGO networks and presence in communities to complement government’s capacity.

While there is intent and a basis in the Government policies to develop integrated Child-centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) programmes, Dr Melchior adds that measuring gender and social inclusion outcomes remains a weakness that could be further enhanced by supporting policy commitments towards gender equality, youth and disability in order to strengthen multi-sectoral coordination and resource allocation for implementation.

“Significant improvements to strengthen institutional arrangements and capacities to effectively manage development assistance has been made but ensuring leadership and ownership by government to drive development, and improving coordination, delegation, reporting and harmonisation by development partners remain as key areas for strengthening.”

Owing to the cross cutting nature of climate change and disaster risk reduction, Dr Melchior said a large component of climate change and disaster risk related expenditure is embedded in sector expenditures with other primary objectives, and not necessarily or predominantly within the expenditure and budget of the Ministry responsible for climate change and disaster risk reduction (MECDM).

Sharing lessons learned from the issue of climate finance, Dr Melchior highlighted that having an effective high level, multi-agency or multi-stakeholder committee or body responsible for oversight and monitoring of the national climate change and disaster risk reduction agenda with an effective secretariat to support its work is necessary.

“Planning and Finance institutions have a leading role to play in facilitating the incorporation of climate change and disaster risk issues into policy development and public investment planning at sector and local levels. Elevating the climate change and disaster risk reduction agenda and tagging it to the core mandates of central agencies such as finance and planning is therefore important.

“The level of financing accessed is significantly influenced by having strong PFM (Public Financial Management) systems and not necessarily by a country’s level of vulnerability. Ensuring a credible and robust PFM system is essential to increased access to CCDRM finance.

“Do you think this is fair to those that are most vulnerable?” he questioned in the midst of the panel discussion.

The Environment and Climate Change Permanent Secretary pointed out that a common message emerging from the recommendations of the finance assessment was that effectively addressing climate change and disaster did not require government to establish new systems and mechanisms but rather to strengthen and build upon already established systems and mechanisms.

He concluded that Climate Change and DRM finance assessment helped government and stakeholders to review how climate change and disaster risk reduction policy aims were being reflected in public expenditures and how institutions might be strengthened and adjusted to ensure that financing a response to climate change and disaster risk is being delivered in a coherent way across Government.

“The finance assessment also provided a starting point for longer term government-led stakeholder dialogue on how the Government might utilise increased financing and the support that partners can provide as part of a coordinated and integrated national response to climate change and disaster risk reduction.

“Accessing climate finance from dedicated climate financial mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund has come with a lot of requirements and “red-tapes” most of which are to do with financial risk management,” he said.

To add salt to our wounds, dedicated climate finance has to be accessed via intermediaries who are not even parties to UNFCCC and the other Rio Conventions, suggested Dr Melchior.

“These arrangements have to be revisited because whilst they serve the purposes of the financial mechanisms, they undermine our capacity to address climate change in ways that are meaningful to us, and respect our sovereignty and the fact that we are a party to the UNFCCC.

“The paradox here is whilst we have to use intermediaries for dedicated sources of climate finance, our national government takes commercial loans from multilateral banks and is a recipient of direct budget support from donors – what is the difference here?” he concludes.

By PRIESTLEY HABRU

In Bonn, Germany

SOLOMON Islands has played a key role in ensuring the Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) Platform at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) here in Bonn, Germany.

Dr Samson Viulu, who is a member of The Network for Indigenous Peoples of Solomons (NIPS) who represented Solomon Islands Government, was instrumental in pushing for the IP to be adopted.

“The IPs Platform has formally been adopted during the high plenary session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) on Wednesday,” he told Island Sun in Bonn.

This means the IP Platform has been officially adopted as one of COP23’s decision and what it entails is the adoption by parties for its full operations.

“This clearly demonstrated that parties have now recognised the importance of engaging IPs in the decision-making processes at the international stage and hopefully parties will streamline this into their respective national legislation.

“Moreover, with this positive outcome, I can proudly say that Solomon Islands have achieved one of their objectives in this COP23. It is a huge positive outcome for IP communities throughout the globe and the Solomon Islands as a country, with a population of more than 90 percent indigenous peoples.”

Dr Samson, who currently works as a research fellow at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji Islands, said the adoption of the IP platform is very important as it will not only recognise the rights of IPs but it will also strengthen and protect their traditional knowledge systems.

“IPs can now meaningfully contribute to achieve the global initiatives on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), mitigation and adaptation initiatives by states.”

Dr Samson said this milestone took many years and struggles to achieve, considering that, the IP communities throughout the globe have used their traditional knowledge and practices for centuries to navigate through disasters and calamities.

“Therefore it is only fitting that parties to the UNFCCC COP should finally recognise their importance as equal partners.

“The platform will complement the modern science as a vehicle of solutions to combatting climate change.”

He said the Solomon Islands government played a key role in getting the IP Platform recognised within the UNFCCC processes and the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) fully appreciate this assistance.

Dr Samson said in terms of the climate change negotiations to operationalise the Paris Agreement, not much has been made in most of the thematic areas such as loss and damage, mitigation and adaptation, finance, technology, NDCs, global stock take, reporting and compliance and so forth in this COP23 negotiations.

“Most of these negotiations will now shift to COP24, which will be in Poland next year.

“However, the full operationalization of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) Platform is one of the only few agendas that has made a huge progress at this COP23 and will go down as Fiji’s biggest legacy in hosting this COP23.”

Dr Samson explained that parties, states and all the concerned non-government constituents in the UNFCCC processes managed to reach an agreement on the draft text around 8pm on Tuesday night, and was formally adopted by the high plenary of the UNFCCC bodies the next day on Wednesday November 15; and is now a decision of the COP23.

“This was possible after hard fought negotiations against some reluctant states by friendly states led by Ecuador, Bolivia and the Solomon Islands to name a few.”

The decision to fully operationalise the IP platform in this COP23 was a follow up from the Paris Agreement where the establishment of the IP platform was adopted. With its adoption for full operationalisation, the IP communities throughout the globe will now remember Fiji as the COP Presidency that helped ushered in a new dawn of hope to preserve, protect and strengthen their traditional systems.

The adoption by parties for its full operationalisation clearly demonstrated that parties have now recognised the importance of engaging IPs in the decision-making processes at the international stage and Dr Samson is hopeful parties will streamline this into their respective national legislation.