Loss and damage caused by climate change is one of the major agendas of UN climate summit COP23 in Bonn, Germany. To finalise the modalities, the Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage has already made a draft five-year rolling work plan that is supposed to be adopted in Bonn.Adao Soares Barbosa, who heads the developing countries in the Executive Committee, discusses the issue with the Dhaka Tribune’s Abu Siddique on the sidelines of the climate conference
How has the discussion on loss and damage issues progressed at the ongoing climate talks?
The progress is happening. We had an informal discussion yesterday evening (Wednesday). One of the key progresses is that we have made a five-year rolling work plan on loss and damage, which is supposed to be discussed here next week.What is the status of the work plan?
The Executive Committee has already made the draft of it, which is supposed to be approved by the parties in the COP. Meanwhile, we have made a draft decision with which we will move forward.The draft work plan, which your team has already finished, is basically focused on insurance as a tool of tackling loss and damage. Why?
Actually, the COP Secretariat asked for a technical paper, which is mandated by the Paris Agreement. That’s why we have focused on technical things. Gradually, all the things will be discussed and the work plan will be finalised by 2019. So, we still have a while to look into all the options, including insurance and others.
About insurance, I would say that it is not highly addressed in the work plan, but we tried to examine it as a mechanism. And for that, COP is going to launch a platform named “Clearing House for Risk Transfer” to discuss the pros and cons of insurance next year.
The platform will be an information hub regarding different tolls, including insurance to address the loss and damage issue. Some insurance-related issues might work and some will not. So we have to fix the mechanism after examining those in the years to come.Civil society organisations have said insurance is a clever initiative by the developed countries being pushed upon the developing ones. What do think about this?
It’s a common understanding of all parties that insurance will be in place. But developing countries are asking for insurance. And I have no idea about developed countries.
Whatever comes, it needs to be under the convention. As the Paris Agreement recognises the private sector’s involvement in resource mobilisation, the issue will definitely come.
But we have to choose the best options for the vulnerable people.
