Final Hours Inside the Bella Centre
We're receiving periodic reports today from another person inside the Bella Centre and will post them as soon as we receive them.
Saturday December 19th, 9:00 a.m.
When the president introduced the deal text he heard from Tuvalu and then was about to adjourn when the deputy secretary of the UNfccc indicated there was a point of order from someone. With the microphone on he indicated there was not and gavelled the meetung closed. Venezuala and others then started banging their name cards and standing to force the president to reopen the meeting. In baging her card, the reprersentative from Venezuela cut her hand - hence the references to blood on her hand to have the right to speak.We are seeing clearly the frustration of the parties with the process and the Danish presidency. In my view we are also seeing a far more fundamental change in the process and possibly future of the UN - where parties no longer believe that they are being afforded their democratic right to be heard. You are experiencing a poignant point of history in the making.
Many of the Parties came out strongly in favour of the agreement and the process. A group of southern oil nations is blocking approval of same. They include Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua.The president/chair is clearly physically and mentally exhausted. A number of other parties including Maldives and Grenada have very eloquently pleaded for the chair to have the agreement approved as a substantial consensus of the COP, noting the objecting parties. To date the Chair has interpreted consensus as 100 percent unanimity. He appears to be getting very little legal assistance on the barrage of procedural questions that he is getting. As he was on the verge of closing the session without an agreement, the UK intervened seeking a 5 minute agreement (that was an hour ago)... A number of parties have reflected my comments to you in an earlier email. I.e. That the UN process itself is in jeopardy as a result of these proceedings on such a critically important issue.
Saturday December 19th, 12:00 p.m.
New chair of the conference - Barbados. Chair found an elegant way to operationalize the Copenhagen Accord by noting it in a two line decision and gavelling it through. We appear to have an agreement (albeit weak) that allows the two tracks to move forward and the parties to continue to work on the essential elements of the Bali Action Plan
Saturday December 19th, 9:00 a.m.
When the president introduced the deal text he heard from Tuvalu and then was about to adjourn when the deputy secretary of the UNfccc indicated there was a point of order from someone. With the microphone on he indicated there was not and gavelled the meetung closed. Venezuala and others then started banging their name cards and standing to force the president to reopen the meeting. In baging her card, the reprersentative from Venezuela cut her hand - hence the references to blood on her hand to have the right to speak.We are seeing clearly the frustration of the parties with the process and the Danish presidency. In my view we are also seeing a far more fundamental change in the process and possibly future of the UN - where parties no longer believe that they are being afforded their democratic right to be heard. You are experiencing a poignant point of history in the making.
Many of the Parties came out strongly in favour of the agreement and the process. A group of southern oil nations is blocking approval of same. They include Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua.The president/chair is clearly physically and mentally exhausted. A number of other parties including Maldives and Grenada have very eloquently pleaded for the chair to have the agreement approved as a substantial consensus of the COP, noting the objecting parties. To date the Chair has interpreted consensus as 100 percent unanimity. He appears to be getting very little legal assistance on the barrage of procedural questions that he is getting. As he was on the verge of closing the session without an agreement, the UK intervened seeking a 5 minute agreement (that was an hour ago)... A number of parties have reflected my comments to you in an earlier email. I.e. That the UN process itself is in jeopardy as a result of these proceedings on such a critically important issue.
Saturday December 19th, 12:00 p.m.
New chair of the conference - Barbados. Chair found an elegant way to operationalize the Copenhagen Accord by noting it in a two line decision and gavelling it through. We appear to have an agreement (albeit weak) that allows the two tracks to move forward and the parties to continue to work on the essential elements of the Bali Action Plan
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