UN Climate Change Conference 2013

The United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Doha, Qatar from November 26 to December 8, 2012

Representing Trinidad and Tobago was Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh; Head of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit (MEAU), Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources along with Ms. Rueanna Hayes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh (second from the right) amongst country delegates at a session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2012

The Conference included the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP8).

Negotiations in Doha focused on the implementation of agreements reached at previous conferences.  Decisions arising out of these discussions included the establishment of a second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol (2013-2020).

In addition, the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) and negotiations under the Bali Action Plan were terminated.

While developing countries and observers expressed disappointed with the lack of ambition in outcomes on Annex I countries' mitigation and finance, most agreed that the conference had paved the way for a new phase.

This phase will focus on the implementation of the outcomes from negotiations that were under the AWG-KP and AWG-LCA, and advancing negotiations under the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP).