BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change

• Recently 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in New Delhi.
• The joint statement brought out at the conclusion of the BASIC summit reiterated:
  • Political commitment to the effective implementation of UN Climate Convention and its treaties- Kyoto-Protocol (pre-2020) and COP 21 Paris Agreement (post-2020).
  • Full support for upcoming Conference of Parties (COP)24 in Polish Presidency for a successful outcome.

Important takeaways of the meeting

• On global climate change:
• To promote a global green and low carbon transition.
• To work together with all parties in an open, transparent, inclusive and party-driven manner to achieve a balanced and comprehensive outcome to finalize the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) at COP 24.
• On finance and technology transfer
• It underlined that the developed countries need to step up their action on climate technology transfer which are part of the pre-2020 actions before the Paris Climate Agreement (2015) comes into effect.
• It urged developed countries to fulfill their climate finance commitments of mobilizing USD 100 billion per annum by 2020. It called on developed countries to scale up resources pledged to the GCF for mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.
• It urged developed countries to take urgent actions to close the pre-2020 implementation gaps by 2023 which can be a useful input for the first Global Stocktake (GST).

Other commitments

• Unequivocal commitment to support Egypt, as the Chair of the Group of 77 and China, with a view to advance the common interests of developing countries.
• They stressed that the GST process should be comprehensive, considering mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation.
• That global climate action should promote Climate Justice and a just transition by recognizing the fundamental equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.

BASIC

• It is a bloc of four developing countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) formed in the year 2009 by an agreement to act jointly at the COP15-Copenhagen Climate Summit (CCS).
• The alliance was formed to negotiate with developed countries regarding the further course of action to be taken on climate change after the end of first mandate of Kyoto Protocol.
• Subsequently, the CCS resulted in Copenhagen Accord between US and BASIC countries. Since then, the BASIC countries have met regularly and address the common concerns and interests of the developing countries vis-a-vis developed countries regarding climate change.
  
  

  Terms and organisations Kyoto Protocol:  it is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The protocol was extended (2012-2020) after the completion of its first period (2005-2012). Paris Agreement: it is an agreement within the UNFCCC, dealing with greenhouse gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance, coming into effect 2020. Global Stocktake: It refers to a proposed five-yearly review of the impact of countries’ climate change actions. Under the Paris Agreement, every country must present a climate action plan in five-yearly cycles. The first global stocktake will happen in 2023. Group of 77 and China: It is a coalition of 134 developing nations, designed to promote its member’s collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. Since China participates in G77 but does not consider itself to be a member, all official statements are issued in the name of the Group of 77 and China.