As more than 140 world leaders made short opening statements on Sunday, 44 countries that are members of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), along with other vulnerable countries, declared that the 2C goal being backed by all major blocs would seal the fate of hundreds of millions of people in countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sudan and Vietnam.
FAO will keep future Sessions of COFI briefed on steps taken to implement the Programme and will continue to liaise with AOSIS on this matter.
Ghafoor replied that, following the commitments of the U.S., China and India at Copenhagen, and despite opposition from a small, vocal minority of countries, there had been a political shift; many countries from CARICOM, the African Union (led by Ethiopia), and AOSIS will come to associate with Copenhagen and engage on subsequent agreements.
As I reported earlier this week, the comment went down very badly with the blocs pushing for faster action on climate change - the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) and the EU - with Marshall Islands minister Tony de Brum describing this flexibility as "a death sentence".
I am a climate change fellow with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a coalition of 39 small island countries at the United Nations, based in New York City.
At a small informal meeting in Brussels last week, just over 30 nations from the coalition took stock of the situation, with members of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) urging the EU to adopt the 30% target as soon as possible.
p. 6. FAO has also consulted with the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) concerning the development of the Programme.
Some developing countries, certainly the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), but also South Africa and Brazil, supported a double protocol approach with a legally binding outcome in the AWG-LCA.
In its statement, Aosis added: "The latest science confirms what we are seeing with our own eyes: the World Meteorological Organisation reports that 2011-2015 has been the warmest five-year period on record and that this year is on track to be the hottest ever".
AOSIS, too, underscored that "the negotiations must be made in accordance with the Bali Action Plan", adding that "the consequences of climate change are already being felt.
