New Zealand is abandoning Small Island Developing States in the Negotiation for

COP15 UNFCCC

New Zealand has submitted its position relating to key issues under negotiation for
COP15 UNFCCC. New Zealand has forgotten the plights of small island states regarding
their urgent need for adaptation. New Zealand chose to ignore its commitment under the
Convention and let the small island states to perish in the absence of any support for
adaptation.

New Zealand submitted its proposal on Ideas and proposals on the elements contained in
paragraph 1 of the Bali Action Plan under the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term
Cooperative Action under the Framework Convention on Climate Change on 24 April
2009. The submission could be found in document FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/MISC.4 (Part
II) issued by the UNFCCC secretariat.

On the section of Adaptation, New Zealand has a Framework on Adaptation to be set up. It has
further explained that “the Convention’s role is one of coordination and facilitation, and of
catalysing activity e.g. by providing access to a range of tools and information sources including
on availability of adaptation finance and technologies. The Convention’s role is not that of an
implementing agency. Critically, a framework that addresses adaptation to the adverse effects of
climate change is not a framework to address the impacts of response measures to climate
change. This issue is more than adequately covered elsewhere in the negotiations and it does not
belong in the Framework on Adaptation.”

New Zealand has heartlessly ignored its commitment under Article 4.3 of the Convention “The
developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II shall also
assist the developing country Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse
effects of climate change in meeting costs of adaptation to those adverse effects.” New
Zealand shows no mercy to Small Island States, particularly those which are its neighbours and
prefer to watch them sinking in vain. It chooses to ignore its commitment, as an Annex I Party, on
adaptation. New Zealand has also downgraded the role of UNFCCC to coordination and
facilitation and of catalyzing activity.

New Zealand is totally irresponsible in saying that the Convention has only coordination and
facilitation roles only. Indeed, It never have the slightest intention to assist those countries that
are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Its proposal demonstrates its total
unwillingness in fulfilling its responsibility of meeting the cost of adaptation.

New Zealand proposed that the operation of the Framework on Adaptation shall be guided by the
following objectives:
(a) To assist all Parties, in particular developing countries, including the least developed
countries and small island developing States, to improve their understanding and
assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, and to make informed decisions on
practical adaptation actions and measures;
(b) To create enabling environments through knowledge sharing, capacity building and
the strengthening of regional centres of expertise; and
(c) To facilitate and promote an integrated best practice approach to adaptation to the
adverse effects of climate change;
New Zealand has suggested initiatives only to improve the understanding and assessment of
impacts and vulnerability through knowledge sharing and regional centres of expertise, using
integrated best practice approach. New Zealand only “facilitates” information exchange on
adaptation and not providing any financial support for adaptation as stipulated in Article 4.4 of
the Convention.

New Zealand further pushes the responsibility of provision of financial support to developing
countries by articulating that the developing countries “have the primary responsibility for
implementing measures to reduce climate change risk and to adapt to the adverse effects of
climate change and climate change risk reduction and adaptation must be integrated into
development activities”. It now implies that each country has to accept the cold fact that
adaptation is its own responsibility and any cost of adaptation has to be borne by the country
itself as adaptation is to be integrated into national development plan.

Developed countries, including New Zealand, continue to divert public attention on climate
change responsibilities to developing countries like China and India as major source of emission.
They are running away from their commitments of providing financial support to developing
countries on adaptation. The “Framework” proposed by New Zealand is just a bare-bone
framework of information exchange, in which any information portal could assume such
responsibility at very low cost.

It is extremely sad to see the true intention of New Zealand is to get all developing countries to
mitigate and forget its rudiment responsibility of providing financial resources for most
vulnerable countries, particularly the many small island States in its neighbourhood.

For these small island States which are desperately fighting for survival as a result of sea level
rise and global warming, we cry for you!!

To New Zealand, you are only a coward in sheep skin!! Be brave, come out to commit funding