Papua New Guinea is looking forward to the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP 23), eyeing every opportunity to address climate change issues.
The COP 23 to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be organised by Fiji and hosted at the headquarters of the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany, from November 6-17, 2017.
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is the incoming President of COP23.
Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA) acting managing director, Ruel Yamuna, told Loop PNG that with the COP 23 organised by Fiji, PNG will take this as an opportunity to strongly negotiate for best possible outcomes.
Yamuna said Fiji is a close partner in the region and has openly indicated its position, focused on addressing real climate change issues affecting small island nations.
“PNG is looking forward to discussions and negotiations on all the issues that are close to the Pacific region, including adaptation, climate finance, mitigation and REDD+.
“These are issues that we will be strongly negotiating on so that we can get the best possible outcome to at least help give much needed support to Pacific Island nations.
“We hope that this will help small island countries, including PNG, influence our position under the Paris Agreement,” Yamuna said.
Yamuna added that the COP 23 meeting is going to be an opportunity for the Pacific region to get the most out of the negotiating process.
He said this is something that has always been very political with countries having different interests adding to the complication of getting a favourable outcome.