Undelivered Intervention

Thank you co-facilitator. My name is Claire Miranda, from the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development, a member of Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice.

I am here today representing the people of the Global South, to confront an outrage that can no longer be ignored. In these very rooms where we have been repeatedly talking about how to address the climate crisis, we still need to be reminded of one simple but profoundly troubling reason of why we are here – because of the actions and inactions of rich country governments who continue to be the biggest polluters, causing unprecedented harm to our planet. The climate catastrophe that engulfs our people and communities is a direct result of the greed, negligence, and outright deceit of the rich country governments. 

You are the biggest polluters, the architects of this planetary destruction. The heatwaves that left our lands scorched, the typhoons that shattered our homes, the fossil fuel extraction that poisoned our planet – these are your legacies. For decades, you have perfected the art of inaction, the dirty tactics to evade your obligations while our people suffer and our lands die.

In this very space, where you are supposed to agree on a quantum that reflects the growing climate needs of the Global South and urgently deliver your obligations, you shamelessly divert the discussion. Instead of addressing the crisis you’ve created, you point fingers at developing countries and expand the contributor base, and then have the gall to limit the recipients of climate finance. You continue deflecting attention from the fact that it is YOU who are responsible. You erode the core principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, principles enshrined in the Convention which the Global South has fought hard for. How you mobilize the adequate amount to meet your obligation is your problem and should not be the burden of the Global South.

You have the audacity to claim you’ve met the $100 billion goal promised back in 2009. This is a blatant lie. Funds provided in loans, repackaged development assistance, contributions to MDBs – these are not climate finance. You continue to portray yourselves as climate champions, boasting of your commitment to help the most vulnerable cope with climate impacts. Yet, behind your flowery words lies the harsh reality: it is the Global South that has fed your people, provided you with human resources, and transferred its wealth to you through forced climate loans. You hide behind these deceptive narratives and then leave us to drown in the consequences of your actions. This claim is not just misleading; it is an insult to the people of the Global South who endure the worst of climate change every single day. Your false assertions are nothing more than a cowardly attempt to mask your utter failure to deliver your obligations.

I call upon the leaders of our nations, the negotiators here from the Global South who will be in Baku, to stand resolute. We implore you to demand these rich country governments – who continue to extract our resources, oppress our people and actively enabling the acts of genocide, who owe your people a huge climate debt – fulfill their obligations without delay. We will not be placated by more false assurances. 

As we approach COP29 in Baku, we issue a resolute warning: the people of the Global South are rising. Another endless talkshop is unacceptable. We will be more determined to expose your lies, spotlight your dirty tactics to derail progress and dismantle those empty promises. We will all demand that you #PayUp, fulfill your obligations, and we will settle for nothing less than complete accountability. We will not rest until justice is served and our people receive what is rightfully theirs.

Thank you!