INTERVENTION BY YB DATO’ SRI ANIFAH AMAN
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALAYSIA
AT THE PRE-COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING
(PRE-CHOGM)
MALTA, 26 NOVEMBER 2015
YB Dato’ Sri Anifah Haji Aman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia led the Malaysian Delegation to the Session 2 of the Pre-Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Pre-CHOGM) Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting which was held in Malta on Thursday, 26 November 2015, and delivered an intervention relating to the issue of climate change, as follows:
Mr. Chair,
1. On the issue of climate change, as we know, climate change is a complex, cross-cutting issue which affects everyone of us and in particular, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) due to their vulnerability. The LDCs and SIDS are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events and these are anticipated to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change.
2. This growing threat has adversely impacted our economic, social and environmental wellbeing.
3. In view of this, Malaysia supports the initiative to deliver a strong political message from Commonwealth leaders to the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – which will finalise a new agreement on Climate Change, to be adopted in 2015 and implemented in 2020.
4. While Malaysia welcomes this CHOGM initiative, the Leaders’ Statement should, in no way, be prescriptive and prejudge crucial elements that are currently being negotiated. These include the centrality of the UNFCCC, its Principles and Provisions; the importance of Equity and the Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR); and the commitments of developed States Parties to provide Means of Implementation including finance, to transfer technology and to support capacity building in developing countries. Any Statement coming from CHOGM should be supportive of and complement the ongoing UNFCCC process.
5. Further, we hope that the new international climate agreement should include ambitious national plans from 2020 onwards. It should be a balanced agreement, where both adaptation and mitigation are prioritized.
6. The Agreement must reflect the priority of financing adaptation – for instance, through technology development as well as capacity-building.
7. Malaysia would like to reiterate that important building blocks under the UNFCCC – namely adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology transfer and capacity building – need to be addressed and made operational, immediately.
8. As a fast-developing Asian nation, Malaysia upholds the principles of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, and the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”.
9. Acknowledging the threat posed by climate change to humanity, Malaysia supports the Commonwealth’s efforts to address climate change including the proposed establishment of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, to be hosted by Mauritius. The Hub aims to assist small and vulnerable states with acute capacity needs to access climate finance.
Thank you.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PUTRAJAYA
27 NOVEMBER 2015