Loss and Damage Fund, key agenda at the UN climate event COP 28

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be heading today to UAE to attend the 28^th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP 28) scheduled from 30 November to 12 December 2023 at Expo City Dubai this year.

COP is an annual conference convened by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

According to the press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PM Dahal will attend the High-level Segment of the COP 28-World Climate Action Summit being held on December 1 and 2 where he will deliver a national statement.

During the almost two-week-long conference, PM Dahal will host “Call of the Mountain: Who Saves Us from the Climate Crisis?” event to emphasise Nepal’s stance on climate change and to promote the mountain agenda in COP negotiations, says the press release.

Dr Birendra Prasad Mahato, Minister for Forest and Environment, government officials, and the PM’s daughter Ganga Dahal will accompany the PM.

Securing finance for poor and vulnerable communities in the event of climate disasters remains one of the central concerns at COP events, which will remain on top agenda this year as well, including for Nepal.

The lack of dedicated funding for addressing loss and damage has been a persistent source of frustration for developing countries which are at the forefront of facing devastating climate disasters despite nominal carbon footprints.

In a noteworthy development earlier this month, countries reached a consensus on the framework for establishing the fund which was a breakthrough agreement in COP 27.

All eyes are set to see if the latest COP will be able to bring the Loss and Damage Fund into operation.  

Earlier, PM Dahal flew to Mustang in October to examine climate change effects and temperature rise in the Himalayan region along with interacting with the local people.

During his stay at Jomsom, Dahal announced to allocate of Rs 500 million to Mustang for climate protection where he also stressed raising the issue of mountains in the upcoming COP28 at a climate dialogue program organised by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) and Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

A week back, PM Dahal asserted that Nepal will prioritise the agenda of compensation for the vulnerable communities in the UN climate event.

Held annually since 1994, COP conferences serve as a platform for governments to collaboratively establish policies aimed at reducing global emissions, mitigating global temperature increases, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change.

The COP also tracks ‘Nationally Determined Commitments’ (NDCs), which are individual commitments of countries to reducing carbon footprints, on the scale of their ambitions.

Nepal submitted its first NDC in 2016 and the second in 2020.

This year leaders, ministers, and officials from 198 countries will participate in the event with expected attendees of over 70,000 delegates. 

However, COP conferences are often criticised for weak outcomes compared to their scale and an alarming rise in temperatures, global emissions, and climate disasters.