The Commonwealth on Saturday pledged itself toward an “ambitious,” legally binding outcome from the world climate change summit, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the disproportionate threat to its most vulnerable members.
Leaders from the 53-nation family, which represents about one-third of the world’s population, produced a “message of Commonwealth ambition and determination” for the COP21 talks in Paris, which begin today.
“We are committed to working towards an ambitious, equitable, inclusive, balanced, rules-based and durable outcome of COP21 that includes a legally binding agreement,” it said in a Statement on Climate Action, agreed at their summit in Malta.
Photo: EPA
“Such an outcome, joined and implemented by all parties, should put the global community on track towards low-emission and climate-resilient societies and economies,” it said.
Commonwealth leaders at the organization’s biennial gathering agreed on the statement following a day of talks among themselves alone in a medieval coastal fortress.
Because its membership includes industrialized G7 powers like Britain and Canada, emerging giants like India and tiny island microstates such as the Maldives, agreement in the Commonwealth has historically boded well for deals being struck beyond its bounds.
Among the few things concluded at the flop 2009 Copenhagen global climate change summit were those things agreed beforehand by the Commonwealth.
“We are deeply concerned by the threat posed by climate change, which continues to put at risk the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of our member states and citizens,” the leaders’ statement said. “Many of our most vulnerable states and communities are already facing the adverse impacts of climate change.”
It committed to hold the increase in global average temperature “below 2 or 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.”
The Commonwealth launched a Climate Finance Access Hub, a network aimed at smaller island states that want to get access to funds to mitigate the expected effects of climate change.
“Access to finance, technology and capacity development are at the heart of the ability to respond to climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Mauritian Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, who announced its establishment.
The organization has also come up with a debt swap for climate change action initiative, where developing countries could see their debt written down in return for undertaking projects on improving the environment.
Leaders held talks on Saturday at a retreat session in Fort St Angelo, a bastion on Valletta’s harbor controlled by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and dating to the middle ages.
The retreat sessions feature just the leaders and Commonwealth of Nations Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma: no advisers, press or other ministers are allowed in.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and French President Francois Hollande had been guests at the summit’s special session on climate change on Friday and said they were strongly encouraged by what they saw.
Commonwealth leaders also discussed combating radicalization and corruption, and coping with migration.
“We need to expose this extremism for what it is: a belief system that divides our communities and glorifies violence,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said.
“We’ve committed to do more to counter extremist propaganda on the Internet and to share expertise on prevention,” he said.
He said he would host a conference in London in May on tackling corruption.
Extremism and corruption were linked, Cameron said, insisting malfeasance “can foment terrorism if people give up hope in a good and honest government providing the things they need.”
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS