Negotiations have not yet been concluded on the final official day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban (South Africa). Ministerial representatives from 194 countries are still struggling to reach an agreement. If, as resolved a year ago in Cancún, the increase in the global temperature is not to exceed 2 degrees, the international community must make hard and effective decisions in Durban.

The Swiss delegation supports the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol. Its condition for the implementation of a second Kyoto period is that newly industrialised countries like China, Brazil and India and the USA agree to a process that will lead to a comprehensive legally-binding agreement from 2020. Switzerland has made its own international commitments conditional on the adoption of clear undertakings by these states.

Irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations in Durban, in accordance with its mandate for the conference in Durban, the Federal Council wishes to continue with the implementation of Switzerland's climate policy in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol and the reduction of Switzerland's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020 (as compared with 1990).

Prior to the final round of negotiations in the plenary session on Friday evening, the South African President of the COP 17 Conference will attempt to generate consensus on the remaining points of contention. Switzerland and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been mandated to hold bilateral consultations with the main groups in relation to long-term financing. Bruno Oberle, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is holding these talks on behalf of Switzerland.

Outcome of Durban Climate Conference Hangs in the Balance