Talks on key issues left off the UN Cop 30 agenda have not yet reached an agreement and will continue through the end of the week, but summit officials say they are pleased with the progress so far.
Meetings convened this week have been constructive, producing "very concrete proposals" for a resolution, but some negotiators said more time is needed to make further progress, Cop 30 president Andre Correa do Lago said on Wednesday during a brief plenary of conference parties.
"Progress has been achieved over the course of the discussions in enhancing the understanding of each other's perspectives and views," he said.
The Cop presidency has held three informal consultations so far this week and will hold more starting on Thursday. Those will be followed by another plenary on 15 November, Correa do Lago said.
The talks represent the first test for the Brazilian Cop presidency as it seeks compromises between parties on major issues left off the conference agenda — unilateral trade measures, climate finance obligations, responses to climate plans and emissions reporting.
The conference avoided an agenda fight that could have delayed the start of the negotiations on its first day of the summit, 10 November, on the condition that contentious topics left out of the official talks would be addressed in informal consultations overseen by the Cop 30 presidency.
Correa do Lago sounded optimistic about the chances for a resolution, with parties reporting "a level of engagement they have not seen in a long time." He praised "the extraordinary constructive spirit that all the delegations have shown in this discussion".
Some progress has been made, but the talks remain challenging because of "some very strong differences of views amongst parties," which have not fallen along the usual global north and south lines often seen at Cop summits, EU negotiator Jacob Werksman said earlier in the day.
Negotiating blocs so far diverge on which of the four topics should be included in the summit's outcome. It is also unclear whether these issues will be part of a Cop 30 conclusion altogether. The presidency plans to try and convert any progress into draft decisions, but there is no consensus yet on how these will appear in an official Cop outcome document, Werksman said.
The alliance of small island states (Aosis) and others such as the EU are supportive of a response to a lack of ambition in the latest round of countries' climate plans. But countries such as India and Saudi Arabia are not looking to open the discussions on climate ambition or targets, pressing instead for the climate finance obligations of developed countries to developing countries and unilateral trade measures to be addressed at this summit.
