COP28 Umbrella Group Closing Statement

Note: The Umbrella Group is a coalition of Australia, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Norway, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Australia is the Chair of the Umbrella Group, and the below statement was on behalf of the Group.
 
Thank you, Mr President, and I want to start by recognising your personal leadership, tenacity, patience, and courage.
 
I know you’ve made many friends over the last year, and I know we’ll remain friends for many years to come because of your personal leadership.
 
You promised a strong result and today we are delivering a strong result.
 
Mr President, I speak on behalf of the Umbrella Group of countries.
 
The discussions at Dubai over the past two weeks has led to important milestones in our work to combat the climate crisis.
 
We came together in solidarity at the beginning of this conference to agree to groundbreaking work on loss and damage.
 
The new fund shows what we can do when we come together, with an intent to deliver real outcomes.
 
We have agreed to an ambitious new framework on the global goal on adaptation, which is very important, it elevates the role of adaptation, with globally applicable targets that lay out a direction of travel and galvanise action and support.
 
But undeniably, Mr President, the central part of our discussions at COP28 has been the future of fossil fuels in our energy systems.
 
Earlier this week we called for more than a step forward.
 
And today the world has stepped up.
 
The outcome does not go as far as many of us have asked for, starting with some of the most vulnerable countries, but the message it sends is clear.
 
That all nations of the world have acknowledged the reality that our future is in clean energy, and the age of fossil fuels will end.
 
The Global Stocktake also shows that the nations of the world have come a long way under the Paris Agreement.
 
Eighty-seven percent of the global economy is now covered by a climate neutrality target and almost all countries have commitments to cut emissions.
 
But the Stocktake also shows that we have a long way to go – that we need a step change to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
 
The Stocktake affirms the latest science – that we will need to cut global emissions by 43% by 2030 and 60% by 2035.
 
We stand behind its call for future NDCs to be aligned with 1.5 degrees. This is the guiding “North Star” as countries prepare most ambitious NDCs.
 
We stand behind its calls for NDCs to have economy-wide emission reduction targets, covering all sectors, gases, and categories.
 
We stand behind its call for a tripling of renewable energy, doubling of energy efficiency and substantially reducing non-CO2 emissions.
 
We must take every opportunity.
 
The Global Dialogues under the Mitigation Work Program has provided rich examples of such opportunities in the energy and in transport sector.
 
It is disappointing that the decision this year does not reflect on these discussions and that a few countries have withheld progress on this important issue, and the chance to elevate investment and opportunities for all countries.
 
This delay cannot continue.
 
We welcome the strengthened Sharm El Shiekh Dialogue on aligning finance flows with low emissions and climate resilient development.
 
This is an important area of work to reach the scale of global investment needed to reach 1.5 degrees.
 
The New Collective Quantified Finance Goal, due to be agreed next year, is a pivotal moment to deliver urgent and necessary support for developing countries.
 
We are pleased to see this acknowledgement that the new goal must draw from the widest range of sources, including both public and private finance flows, domestic and international, both provided and mobilised.
 
It needs to deliver a system transformation because the world has changed a lot in the last thirty years.
 
Countries’ capacities and circumstances have evolved dramatically since 1992, and so must their responsibilities.
 
It’s time, Mr President, to have that discussion.
 
Because we need to pull every lever to achieve the scale of climate finance the world needs to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
 
We note the outcomes on the Just Transition Work Program. We must support our workers and communities who have powered our countries for generations to an empowered future, with good jobs.
 
The language on human rights is deeply concerning. Human rights are not something that Parties can be encouraged to take into account, human rights must be respected, promoted and fulfilled.
 
We welcome the decision on the Youth Climate Champion, and note it complements the diversity of youth voices in the process and the important role that YUNGO plays.
 
Parties, the next two years will be a true test of the Paris Agreement. We will have bent the curve, or we will have lost 1.5.
 
We must join together in the highest possible ambition. This week shows what’s possible when the world comes together. We need to take this energy home and turn it into action.
 
Further plenary comments delivered by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, on behalf of Australia:
 
Mr President, just a few brief comments on Australia’s behalf, I want to personally recognise the role of the Pacific countries in this process.
 
The Pacific has long called for the highest possible ambition to keep 1.5 alive, and while this outcome today may not have fully met their calls, their voices are being heard.
 
The message from this COP on the urgency of the energy transition is loud and clear; we must now deliver.
 
Mr President, again, let me conclude by thanking you for your leadership. There’s been ups and down in this process, but this is undeniably an historic COP, and we thank you for your leadership.