There are elements in this document for which our CARICOM countries are grateful. The increased ambition of the Agreement, as reflected by the reference to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, is a significant achievement that has already started to resonate with ‘positive vibrations’ throughout the Caribbean.
The separate treatment of Loss and Damage in the Agreement is also a most welcomed development. While I pulled these two elements out for special mention, we view this Agreement not as a combination of separate articles, but as a total package that will provide us with the legal framework for protecting our ecosystems, our islands, our people, our cultures and our planet.
Remarks by Dr. Jimmy Fletcher, Minister of Sustainable Development, St. Lucia and Chairman of the CARICOM Task Force on Climate Change to the Final Plenary of COP21, Paris, France, Saturday 12 December, 2015. The gathering of just under 200 nations approved the Paris Agreement to combat Climate Change.
See full remarks:
President Francois Hollande, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, COP 21 President Laurent Fabius, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with a deep sense of pride and gratitude that I take the floor on behalf of my country Saint Lucia and the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, for which we hold lead responsibility for Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
The Government of Saint Lucia and the governments of the countries that make up CARICOM, applaud the process that has culminated in the production of the Paris Agreement that we have just adopted. This has been a resounding triumph of multilateralism. You employed an inclusive, transparent, Party-driven mechanism that allowed every country, regardless of physical size or economic circumstance, to have its voice heard.
Mr. President, I can confidently speak on behalf of my fellow Caribbean delegations when I say that for perhaps the first time in a long time, Caribbean and other SIDS truly felt that our concerns were being heard at a COP. Our delegations witnessed a sincere interest to craft a fair, balanced and ambitious Agreement that sought to address the needs of the most climate-vulnerable countries. From the visit of President Hollande to the Caribbean earlier this year to meet with Caribbean leaders, to the three informal ministerial meetings co-hosted in Paris by COP20 President Manuel Pulgar Vidal and yourself, right through to COP21, there has been a genuine intention to engage, to listen, to discuss, and to find solutions.
Mr. President, equally important has been the leadership and the guidance you have provided to this process. I speak with a little insider knowledge on this subject, having served on your team of ministerial facilitators. Your focus, your drive, and your empathy played a significant role in ensuring that we adopted this historic Climate Change Agreement tonight. I also want to pay tribute to your excellent COP Presidency team, and please forgive me for singling out Laurence Tubiana for special attention. She has been a determined, indefatigable champion.
There are elements in this document for which our CARICOM countries are grateful. The increased ambition of the Agreement, as reflected by the reference to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, is a significant achievement that has already started to resonate with ‘positive vibrations’ throughout the Caribbean. The separate treatment of Loss and Damage in the Agreement is also a most welcomed development. While I pulled these two elements out for special mention, we view this Agreement not as a combination of separate articles, but as a total package that will provide us with the legal framework for protecting our ecosystems, our islands, our people, our cultures and our planet.
After two intense weeks in this beautiful city of Paris, of which unfortunately I have seen very little, I can return home to the citizens of my country and the Caribbean and reassure them that the world cares about them. I can tell the young people in our region who adopted One Point Five to Stay Alive as their mantra that their future looks much brighter today than it did two weeks ago. I can say to the artists who have sung songs and written poetic verse on the need for urgent action on climate change that their voices have been heard. On a personal level, when I return to my home in Saint Lucia, I can look back fondly and proudly on my two weeks here in Paris and know that together with a group of hard working and determined men and women I helped create history; a history that will ensure that my island and our planet will have a more certain future.
My country Saint Lucia is very proud and pleased to associate itself with this historic Paris Agreement.
Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for giving me this privilege. Merci beaucoup.
