Climate Conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, paving the way for the implementation of the Paris Agreement

At the 22th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22), the governing body of the Paris Agreement met for the first time. The participating countries expressed their commitment to implement the agreement.

After the conference, which ended today, the Slovak Minister for the Environment, László Sólymos, said 'We are proud that the EU i together with its Member States was able to initiate the Agreement’s entry into force before our meeting in Marrakesh. None of us expected this to happen so fast. It is an example of the political will to start a radical reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and begin the transition to the green economy.' As the representative of the country holding the Presidency of the EU Council, the Minister chaired the talks on behalf of the EU.

He reminded the participants that measures arising from the Paris Agreement are to slow down global warming, improve the environment and create new jobs by introducing new technologies and innovations.

According to the Minister, the presence of 150 high-level representatives including 60 Heads of State or Government underscored the commitment to deliver on the promises from Paris. The conference was also attended by the Moroccan King Muhammad VI, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon i, French President François Hollande i and the US Secretary of State John Kerry i.

With the climate conference, the parties to the Paris Agreement reached a new level in terms of action and implementation. 'Marrakesh was to show that the commitments we agreed on in Paris are being put into practice and that the EU, including Slovakia, is determined to thoroughly fulfil its obligations,' Sólymos stressed.

Last week the parties agreed to establish the Paris Committee in Capacity Building (PCCB). Since the developing countries lack sufficient capacities, they have difficulties adapting to the adverse consequences of climate change. In this respect the question of financing necessary adaptation measures was raised. Furthermore, the roadmap to mobilise USD 100 billion per year as from 2020 for climate projects in developing countries was also adopted. The money will come from public as well as private and innovative resources. The EU, with its Member States, is the world leader in providing climate finance. Last year they allocated over 17 billion to this purpose. The financing of such projects will allow for a transition to a low-emission economy resilient to the negative impact of climate change. During the two-week meeting, the participants also evaluated how individual states meet their obligations to reduce emissions and Slovakia passed the test.

As a result of the international efforts, the Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015 by consensus of 197 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It entered into force on 4 November. So far it has been ratified by 110 countries, of which 16 were EU Member States. It is the first international agreement in which both economically developed and developing countries have committed to reducing emissions.