1. The 196 Parties, including the EU, to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will attend the eleventh part of the second session of the Ad Hoc Working-Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP 2-11) in Bonn, Germany, from October 19 through 23. The meeting will mark the final round of formal negotiations to draw up the text of the agreement on a new climate regime, which will be applied from 2020.

◦ The delegation from the Republic of Korea will be led by Ambassador for Climate Change Choi Jai-chul of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and comprised of officials from relevant government agencies, including the Office of Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea Forest Service, as well as experts from relevant think tanks.

2. The forthcoming round of negotiations will mark the final round of formal negotiations ahead of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UNFCCC, which will be held in Paris, France, in December 2015 with the goal of concluding an agreement on the new climate regime. Accordingly, the participants will seek to reach an agreement on the text of the accord in small-scale informal meetings.

◦ In particular, as a concise version of the negotiating text, reflecting the outcome of the negotiations in September, was circulated on October 5, the participants are expected to deliberate on the provisions of the circulated draft.

◦ The outcome document of the COP21 will be the binding Paris Agreement and the COP Decisions, which will contain technical details necessary for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The technical content of the COP Decisions will mainly cover the areas of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; adjustment to climate change; financial resources; development and transfer of technology; capacity-building; and transparency.

3. Currently, the number of the countries that have submitted their “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)” to the UNFCCC stands at 151, whose greenhouse gas emissions account for about 85% of the global total, raising the likelihood of concluding the agreement on the new climate regime in late 2015. The INDCs will constitute core elements of the new climate regime.

4. The ROK delegation, by taking an active part in the negotiations, will seek to contribute constructively to the envisioned launch of a new flexible, yet effective, climate regime, which will be applied to all countries. The delegation will also seek to have the ROK’s position reflected regarding major issues under negotiation.

◦ The ROK delegation will also hold meetings with the ADP Co-chairs group, other negotiating groups and delegations from major countries, including a strategic meeting with the Environmental Integrity Group, a negotiating group comprised of the ROK, Switzerland and Mexico.


* unofficial translation