UN climate talks to be held virtually in June

BARCELONA: UN climate negotiations will take place online during three weeks in June, with the aim of pushing ahead on work vital for the success of the COP26 summit planned for November, assuaging fears of further delays in a “crucial year” for climate action.

A commitee of government officials from different regions on Thursday night decided the June talks would proceed virtually, in line with a leter sent this week by COP26 host Britain that said “we cannot afford to put formal work on hold.”

Due to the impossibility of bringing delegates together in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the May 31-June 17 talks will be held online but formal decisions will not be made.

The UN climate change secretariat (UNFCCC) said in a statement it would provide support to “ensure the full and effective participation, in a fair and inclusive manner” of governments and civil society groups.

That includes helping with logistical and internet connectivity needs for delegates as required, it added.

The interim talks, which usually happen over two weeks in Germany, have been extended for an additional week, as accommodating different time zones will mean shorter work days.

In response to concerns raised by some developing countries, including African nations, that the virtual format could disadvantage their participation, the discussions during the June meeting will be classified as “informal.”

“Decisions will only be adopted at the next formal meeting in person,” the UNFCCC statement said.

It remains unclear when a face-to-face meeting will be possible, but it could take place in September, October or just before the November COP if circumstances allow, a UNFCCC spokesman told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In a tweet on Friday, the chairman of the group of 46 least-developed countries in the negotiations said the aim must be to “maximize progress and minimize delay” on climate action but the “voices of the vulnerable must be heard.”

While some, including Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, have called for the COP26 summit itself to be postponed due to coronavirus concerns and unequal access to vaccines, this is not on the cards for the time being, UN and UK officials said. The conference was already delayed for a year by the pandemic.

In this week’s leter, the UK’S COP26 president, Alok Sharma, said 2021 was “a crucial year for people and planet” as the world faces the interrelated challenges of a global health pandemic, accelerating biodiversity loss and escalating global warming and associated impacts.