Highlights for Sunday, 2 December 2018
Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, and Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, sit on the dais as the Katowice Climate Change Conference begins
The Katowice Climate Change Conference opened on Sunday, 2 December, a day earlier than originally scheduled. Parties used this extra day to launch work under all of the bodies meeting at the conference:
The 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
The 14th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 14);
The 3rd part of the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties for the Paris Agreement (CMA 1-3);
49th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 49);
49th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 49); and
The 7th part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-7).
There were several reminders throughout the day of the urgency of the work to complete the details that will operationalize the Paris Agreement, which is due by the close of this meeting. As COP 24 President Michał Kurtyka explained, the work will be “multi-layered,” involving technical discussions and, when needed, discussions elevated to heads of delegations to unlock progress.For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily reports, daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis from the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Morning Plenary
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, and Michał Kurtyka, COP 24/CMP 14/CMA 1-3 President, arrive in plenary
View of the dais during the morning plenary
The COP Presidency is handed over to Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
Frank Bainimarama, COP 23 President
Delegates during plenary
Amjad Abdulla, Maldives
Andrew Neustaetter, US
Patrick Suckling, Australia
Mohamed Nasr, Gabon, speaking on behalf of the African Group
Opening Plenaries for SBI, SBSTA, and APA
SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini, convenes the SBI opening plenary
SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini
Thiago de Araujo Mendes, Brazil
SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France, convenes the SBSTA opening plenary
Elena Manaenkova, Deputy Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Jane Hupe, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Delegates from Saudi Arabia in negotiation with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France, during the plenary
APA Co-Chair Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia, convenes the APA opening plenary
APA Contact Group
APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, convenes the APA Contact Group
APA family photo
SBI, SBSTA, and APA Joint Plenary
View of the joint plenary
Vladimir Uskov, COP Vice-President
Wael Aboulmagd, Egypt, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China
Gebru Jember Endalew, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
Yoo Yeonchul, Republic of Korea, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG)
Carolina Díaz Acosta, Colombia, speaking on behalf of the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC)
Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group
Helmut Hojesky, EU
Ravi Prasad, India, speaking on behalf of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC)
Majid Shafiepour, Iran, speaking on behalf of the Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDCs)
Ruth Kaviok, Indigenous Peoples
Zhenglin Liu and Maria Auma, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs)
Informal Consultations throughout the Day
Delegates consult informally throughout the day
Around the Venue
Delegates gather on the first day of COP 24
Helen Plume, New Zealand, speaks with a delegate
Kishan Kumarsingh, Trinidad and Tobago, speaks with SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France
Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa, and Alex Saier, UNFCCC Secretariat, during a press conference
Delegates from Monaco
'Sustaina Claus' speaks with a delegate
Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President
Members of the EIG wear pieces of green to show their commitment to creating a green future
Frank Bainimarama, COP 23/CMP 13/CMA 1-2 President, takes photographs with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa
UN Security at the start of plenary
SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France; Wanna Tanunchaiwatana, SBSTA Coordinator; SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini; Katia Simeonova, SBI Coordinator; APA Co-Chairs Jo Tyndall, New Zealand, and Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia; and Sergey Kononov, APA Coordinator
Mehmet Emin Birpınar, Turkey
Delegates speak informally
Helmut Hojesky, Austria, speaks with a delegate
Delegates between sessions
