Nations meet prior to climate change talks in Doha

The Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) on climate change, a new group of developing countries, have been coordinating their positions on climate change negotiations ahead of the upcoming climate change talks in Doha, Qatar, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has said.

Representatives of a number of developing countries-from Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Venezuela-attended the first meeting of the group, hosted by China in Beijing last week, according to a statement by the NDRC late Tuesday.

The new grouping, as part of the Group of 77 & China, creates a platform for developing countries with the combined goals of "environmental sustainability, social and economic development, and equity" to exchange views and coordinate positions, it said.

Participants have vowed to work for an "ambitious, equitable and comprehensive outcome" of the upcoming climate change conference in Doha in December.

A top priority for the Doha conference is the adoption of an agreement for a second period of legally-binding emission reduction targets for developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol, which start on 1 January 2013, according to the press release.

To be meaningful, the emission reduction targets must be "sufficiently deep" and in line with the requirements of actions to curb rising temperatures, participants were quoted as saying.

Equally important, they added, is a meaningful and comprehensive outcome under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), which is responsible for implementing the Bali Action Plan launched in 2007.

Officials have said the AWG-LCA must make appropriate and balanced decisions on all aspects of its mandate, especially on supporting developing countries to adapt to climate change and provision of adequate financing, transfer of technology to developing countries, and adequate mitigation efforts by developed countries in aggregate terms and comparable efforts for emission reduction between them.

The participants affirmed that under the Durban Platform, they are committed to making progress on discussions for the enhanced implementation of the Convention in the post-2020 period, and they reiterated that the process, as well as the outcome, of the Durban Platform in both work streams are under the Convention, and must therefore be in full accordance with its principles and provisions, especially equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.

The recent outcome of the UN's Rio+20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro reaffirmed the principle of common, but differentiated, responsibilities and stated that parties should protect the climate system "on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities".

As developing countries experience many severe impacts of climate change, they share common interests and priorities, said the participants.

An increase in extreme weather events, including heavy rainfalls, extensive floods, storms and hurricanes, has underscored the need for global cooperation and actions on climate change, they added.

At the same time, for developing countries, the problem of climate change goes beyond issues of environmental sustainability as it also directly impacts on their survival and development aspirations.

The participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the unity of G77 and China, and strengthen cooperation to fight the global problems of climate change in accordance with the principles and provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the NDRC said.