Between 14 and 19 November 2016, Luxembourg Minister of the Environment, Carole Dieschbourg, attended the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech.

Since the Paris Agreement on climate issues came into force on 4 November 2016, 111 parties, including Luxembourg, have confirmed their agreement. During the COP22, the parties adopted two decisions, the first of which concerned the work programme, notably regarding regulatory provisions for the implementation of the Paris Agreement in 2018. The second decision concerned the financing of the adjustments.

Minister Carole Dieschbourg highlighted the importance of climate action on the ground and of climate-related funding in order to maintain a high level of ambition. The “Marrakech Action Proclamation for our climate and sustainable development” enables the guaranteed continuation of the action plan beyond the COP22. The agenda links non-state participants, including municipalities, cities and regions, who are key players in the fight against climate change.

This climate action also encompasses other sectors such as those of health, human rights, gender equality and equality for indigenous peoples. In this context, Minister Carole Dieschbourg, along with her Austrian, Finnish and Swedish counterparts, facilitated a compromise allowing the implementation of a platform for indigenous peoples planned by the Paris Agreement from 2017.

Luxembourg, in collaboration with Belgium, Chile and Costa Rica, organised a conference on human rights and gender equality in the implementation of the Paris agreement.

The COP22 in Marrakech gave the Luxembourg Minister of the Economy the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Laos, which are partner countries of Luxembourgish cooperation.

The meeting with Erik Solheim, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) allowed the identification of potential avenues of cooperation in the sector of climate-related and air pollution finance. Moreover, at another meeting, the executive director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Javier Manzanares, highlighted that Luxembourg is, relatively-speaking, the biggest contributor to the GCF.

Photo of Luxembourg team at COP22 by Department of the Environment