Don’t overplay Copenhagen Accord, says de boer

The Economic Times | 5 Feb 2010

NEW DELHI: In a clear indication that the UNFCCC views the Copenhagen Accord as nothing more than a reference document, executive secretary Yvo de boer has asked countries "not to overplay" the accord.

"It is important not to overplay the Copenhagen accord. I think people need to keep it as a reference in the back pocket."

The UNFCCC executive secretary described the accord as a document of "political significance" and "a tool to further formal negotiations". Since the December summit, there continues to be a lack of clarity among countries about the form and nature of the Copenhagen Accord, that is, whether it can be turned into a legally binding agreement or not.

The UNFCCC boss made it clear that the accord was an important reference point for formal negotiations. "It represents a political consensus among a large number of countries on a number of outstanding issues. This commonality of views should be at the back of people’s mind in future negotiations," Mr de Boer said.

The accord had not been formally adopted and the Conference of Parties only took note of it. However, efforts were made to put the accord on some kind of sure footing. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon and Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars locke Rasmussen, had written to all heads of state and government indicating that the accord be treated as the first step towards a robust agreement. On Thursday, Mr de Boer’s statement seemed to indicate that the UNFCCC was downgrading the accord.

Part of the reason could well be the overwhelming opinion that the accord should only feed into the formal negotiating process rather than emerge as a separate track. "Everyone I have spoken to, including minister Ramesh, have said that the Copenhagen Accord is not a separate track but a tool to further formal negotiations."

Another reason for the downgrade could be the criticism that the accord has attracted. Broadly, the eleventh hour agreement at Copenhagen has been criticised for not being "ambitious" and "for the manner in which it came about".

Some countries, particularly developing nations, had argued that the group of 29 countries that discussed the agreement was not representative of all sections. The UNFCCC executive secretary acknowledged that the criticism did hold.

Even as Mr de boer argued that there has been a long tradition in the UNFCCC for a smaller "core" group to hammer out an agreement, he acknowledged that the process of selecting the core group in Copenhagen was a departure from the long-held practice.

"There was a feeling that the countries in the core group at Copenhagen were not representing anyone but themselves. The people at the table were not designated to be there by the larger group. This was a departure from practice in Copenhagen," Mr de Boer acknowledged.

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