The latest round of United Nations climate change negotiations took place in Accra, Ghana,
from 21-27 August. The Accra Climate Change Talks took forward work on a strengthened and
effective international climate change deal under the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, as well as work on emission reduction rules and tools under the Kyoto Protocol. This
is part of a negotiating process that will be concluded in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.
Over 1600 participants attended the Accra meeting, which was the third major UNFCCC gathering
this year.
The venue for the sessions was the Accra International Conference Center (AICC). A limited
number of side events and exhibits focused on the Accra Climate Talks took place.
The Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) held its third session,
while the Ad hoc Working Group on further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto
Protocol (AWG-KP) finished the first part of its sixth session.
Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) Workshop
Participants in the Accra International Conference Centre discussing between sessions
Press conference video statement
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer briefing the press on the final day of the Accra
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Briefing the media on the final day of the Talks, Yvo de Boer gave an upbeat assessment of
progress made: “We’re still on track, the process has speeded up and
governments are becoming very serious about negotiating a result in
Copenhagen.”
The debate on the important topic of deforestation and forest conservation, he said, had
resulted in countries expressing the clear desire for this issue to be part of a Copenhagen
agreement.
Further important discussions focused on ways of improving the clean development mechanism
(CDM). Insufficient investment in Africa was cited as one of the CDM's
shortcomings now being addressed. On the controversial issue of sectoral approaches, Mr.
de Boer said that a constructive debate had made it clear that they were not about imposing
targets on developing countries.
The absolute highlight of the session, Mr. de Boer said, had been the mandate given by
governments to the Chair of the working group on long-term cooperative action to compile
proposals made so far and to be made in the coming weeks. The achievement of the
Accra meeting had therefore been in “providing the basis for real negotiations
to begin in Poznań.”
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer addressing the media at the start of the Accra Climate
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At the opening press conference in Accra, the UN’s top climate change official
underlined the urgency for progress in the Talks on a strengthened international climate
change agreement, to be concluded next year in Copenhagen.
"Negotiations need to speed up and become more concrete if Governments are to
meet the 2009 deadline they have set for themselves,” he said.
With the two negotiating groups under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol continuing their
work, Mr. de Boer said that ”Accra needs to produce concrete proposals to be
included in a draft text for Copenhagen,” stressing that “time
is short and the clock is clearly ticking.”
Mr. de Boer highlighted the importance of the venue for these Talks, given Africa's
particular vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. African countries, he said, had
the opportunity to make a real contribution to the design of a strengthened climate change
deal based on their needs.
In consultation with the Host Country and responding to numerous queries from participants, the Climate
Change secretariat would like to propose that the dress code for participants at the upcoming conference be
adapted to take into account the tropical weather in Ghana.
Mr. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, has exempted secretariat staff from wearing jackets and ties after
the opening ceremony. The secretariat invites participants to follow suit. The secretariat hopes that
amending the dress code will allow participants to conduct discussions in a more comfortable environment,
as well as limit the use of air conditioning and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Notification to Parties and Observer states about Accra Climate Change Talks