Statement by the Dutch Minister for Environment Wilma Mansveld at the UN Climate Change Conference [COP-18] in Doha, Qatar
Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Last week I met an eight year old Dutch school boy with the beautiful name of Rembrandt.
He told me that he was concerned about our environment and said to me: "Children go to school so when they are grown-ups they understand how to deal with the earth."
Today there are a lot of grown-ups here in the beautiful city of Doha.
Talking about what we should do to fight climate change.
But even more important than talking is acting.
We need to go faster and further.
Because we are taking huge chances with the future of our next generations.
How long are we willing to gamble?
As the new Dutch Minister for Environment, I want the Netherlands to be at the forefront of climate action.
And our new coalition agreement charts a new and ambitious course to put us there.
But we also need to act as a global community, and make sure we leave no one behind.
A second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is needed as a transition to a new climate change agreement for all Parties.
A new agreement that fits the realities and challenges of the 21st Century.
Let me share a few features that in my view are essential for this new agreement to work.
First, it should allow all Parties to contribute in a wide variety of ways.
One size does not fit all.
Our national and regional circumstances and opportunities are too diverse to catch in one approach.
Instead we should recognize those differences, and design a broad spectrum of commitments.
Second, the new agreement should not be just a snapshot reflecting the situation in 2015 or 2020. Rather, it should be future-proof and dynamic.
The world will continue to change and the new agreement should be able to grow with and accommodate those changes.
Third, it should be an agreement that is attractive to join, that enables and incentivizes action.
An agreement that doesn’t just focus on what countries should do, but also provides tools for how things can be done.
In doing so, it should have a direct link to implementation, and ensure meaningful participation and involvement of the private sector and other stakeholders.
The new agreement is not here yet but this must not deter us from undertaking action now.
Pre-2020 ambition is key in this regard.
Furthermore, the UNFCCC process and all Parties to the Convention should welcome, support and recognize action being taken by cities, companies, financial institutions, and sectors worldwide.
Recognizing and supporting these kinds of initiatives will be crucial to close the mitigation gap.
A final point, Mr President, on adaptation.
For very legitimate reasons the mitigation challenge has taken centre stage at the climate talks.
And –while we have come a long way in raising the profile and importance of adaptation on our global agenda, we should do more, and give adaptation the political and policy priority it deserves.
Adaptation should be not only about addressing vulnerability but also, and more than we are currently doing, about increasing economic and infrastructural resilience.
It should be not only about public sector interventions and plans, but also, and more than we are currently doing, about the role and contribution of the private sector.
I hope we can move towards a modern adaptation agenda under the UNFCCC – adaptation 2.0.
To conclude.
It is up to us to seize the moment and take action.
Together!
Because on our own we may move faster.
But if we work together we can achieve much more!
For us, for our children, our grandchildren, and for...Rembrandt!
Let me close by thanking our hosts in Qatar for their warm hospitality and for all their hard work.
Thank you!