On day 5 of COP-18 Qatar have been further emphasising their commitments to sustainability and engagement with civil society, and Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, the Chairman of the COP18/CMP8 Organising Sub-Committee, highlighted the important role of traditional methods in tackling climate change. In the Fifth Hikma Session, delegates further emphasised the important role of tradition. They spoke of reintroducing an ancient concept called Hima (“protected” in Arabic) which can help communities preserve the natural environment.
The Least Developed Countries (LDC) called for an international mechanism to address loss and damages from climate change. They claim that loss and damages are already being faced by communities all over the world, and often these communities do not have the capacity to cope with or adapt to these changes. This mechanism would improve assessment of damages, would encourage proactive adaptation methods and would offer financial support to countries which suffer large climate change damages. Furthermore, it would provide a platform for a solution to loss and damages. The LDCs expect that this international mechanism will form a part of the “ambitious doha package”.
Christiana Figueres spoke positively of the first week’s developments and said that the commitment of all governments to reach a deal was strong. She claimed that we can expect significant progress by tomorrow and that the Ad Hoc Working Groups on Kyoto, the Convention and the Durban Platform will all be releasing new documents by tomorrow to be worked on starting Monday.
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