What Happened at the Last Day of COP 15 at Copenhagen

Copenhagen closing plenary
The final hours of the Copenhagen negotiations have to be put into context of the confusion and distrust that had been growing among Parties from the outset of the conference over the supposed plans to introduce a ‘Danish text’ which was
outside of, and did not build upon, the official negotiation process of the KP and LCA working groups over the past two years.
During the COP Plenary on Wednesday December 16th, many Parties requested clarity on the process going forward, with Bangladesh, Tuvalu, Egypt and Guatemala saying they had yet to be contacted by the COP President for consultations. Ecuador
expressed concern with the final outcome and worried that “basic standards of multilateralism” would be violated.
At the end of the day, this is exactly what happened, and the strong reaction by many countries to the disregard for procedure was borne out of two weeks of in transparent, biased and divisive consultations leading to deep distrust between parties.
Timeline of the final 24 hours, Friday 18th December:
Speeches from Heads of State in the morning and continued into the afternoon. Nothing happens for the rest of the day which is not happening behind closed doors. Small drafting groups are continuing work on some aspects of text, and throughout the
leaders’ meeting that started on 17 December and continues until the evening of 18 December, there was no confirmation that it was taking place, let alone which countries had been invited and what text they were discussing.
11pm Until 2am 3am
Webcast 3am
COP Plenary
Webcast 3.10am CMP Plenary
Obama Press conference just before midnight, during which he announces a deal and his views on it, revealing either a complete ignorance of UN procedures, or a complete disregard for them.
Other world leaders give press conferences
The COP/CMP plenary, closely followed by the COP plenary is called (4 hours after Obama announces to the world we have a deal)
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http://www1.cop15.metafusion.com/kongresse/cop15/templ/play.php?id_kongressmain=1&theme=unfccc&id_kongresssession=2755
COP President Rasmussen noted that hours of “intense negotiation” had paid off
and that he had mobilized support for a “Copenhagen Accord” developed by a “representative group of leaders” (which he had until this point been denying the existence of). He proposed that the COP adopt this Accord. He then suspended the COP and opened COP/MOP 5, where he also introduced the Accord. He requested that parties read the text, consult on this for one hour and then return with a decision on whether or not they wanted to accept the proposal. After a delegate presses their buzzer, Rasmusan is heard to say trough the microphone ‘no point of order’, he closes the meeting and leaves the podium.Parties start banging the tables to force the meeting to reopen – Rasmussan is forced back to the podium
Tuvalu
"We work under the banner of the United Nations in this meeting, and we as nations are given respect, large or small, we have processes to consider matters collectively. This is called the Conference of the Parties. Earlier this evening I walked past a television camera where a prominent leader was announcing he had a ‘deal’. To make this announcement ahead of a proper consideration by the COP is disrespectful on the processes which we work under - some countries have greater respect for democratic processes. Disrespectful of Obama to make announcement that there is a deal prior to consideration of all countries by the document. There are
major problems in this document. We are being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our future - our future isnot for sale. Tuvalu cannot accept this document.”
Venezuela: “you have made us wait hours for these papers which you previously denied exist. Now you throw these papers on the table and then leave the room. We have the same right to speak as a selective group ofleaders - this group cannot decide the fate of all nations.”
Bolivia: “which part of the world was consulted? Which interests have been represented here? 2C is what we are given in this document - and now we are being told that we have one hour to decide on the lives of those millions of people. We are seeing actions in a dictatorial way and this is not the way we should be discussing decisions about the future of the planet – this is unacceptable and these decisions should be taken in a democratic manner. This document does not represent almost 2 years of work, an enormous amount of work that has been undertaken in our countries with our people, these rights of our people are not being respected
in this way of taking decisions. Our position is absolutely clear- this document does not capture the consensus of all those present – it is the document of a small group of people who believe they have the authority to impose this on us.”

Copenhagen closing plenary
5am:
Webcast:
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Nicuargua intervenes with two draft decisions to carry the process forward. First to suspend to end the COP, reissue the Accord as a MISC document (a submission by the parties involved) and complete the work of the LCA and KP working groups at COP 15 bis in June. Second to mandate the COP President to carry out consultations in an inclusive and transparent manner.
Meeting suspended for consultations
CMP Plenary resumes
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com/kongresse/cop15/templ/play.php?id_kongressmain=1&theme=unfccc&id_kongresssession=2761
Plenary reopens with COP President Rasmussen asking Nicaragua to withdraw its submission to suspend the COP if, based on Costa Rica’s proposal, the document is re-issued as a parallel INF document, and the mandate
of the AWGs is continued. Nicaragua responded that the Accord could be MISC document, and it would then withdraw its proposal and accept the presidents decisions to extend the work of the two working groups. India intervenes that the Accord, which is now issues on behalf of the Prime-Minister, cannot be issued as a MISC doc without the approval of those parties. Rasmussan agrees that we re-issue the accord as a MISC document with party approval, extend the mandate of the two working groups and close rather than suspend the session. On the basis of this, Nicaragua withdraws its proposal to suspend the session.
Sudan
The document L9 is one of the most disturbing developments in the history of the UNFCCC. This document threatens the lives and the livelihoods of millions of people, and threatens the life of the African continent and her people. You have relentlessly and single-mindedly decided to advance through this document with the
circle of commitment of those who have agreed - the HoS behind this document to accept a solution that is based on 2C which will result in gross violation of rights. L9 is murderous - it condemns and turns Africa into a furnace. 2C turns into 4-5C. L9 asks Africa to sign a suicide pact, in order to maintain the economic dominance of few countries. Devoid of any sense of responsibility, morality, and is a solution based on values - the same values in our opinion that tunnelled 6 million people in Europe into furnaces. No-one, no Obama, or yourself, can force Africa to destroy itself, its future generation, and its current generation. 2C is certain death and is self evidenced by the IPCC report. No African president or prime minister has been given a mandate to destroy or aid and abet in destroying Africa. It is immoral that this document was issued by the UN. The promise of $100 billion US dollars will not bribe us to destroy the continent. We ask you to withdraw L9 -destroy it and delete it from the UNFCCC system. I want to put on record that in conducting your duties as president of COP 15 you have been biased and violated all rules of procedure and transparency.
Maldives
Climate change is a very real danger to the Maldives and to other low lying countries. We have a danger of UNFCCC talks going the same way as WTO - this can be tolerated in many issues, but not climate change, as science suggests we have a window of 7 years, if real actual measures are not taken, worlds climate can reach
tipping points. I have sat with 25 countries over the last 2 days, who were also engaged over the last 2 years on exactly the same talks. I have seen the huge gulf of difference in opinion on coming to a conclusion. The Maldives would vanish – for this reason we tried very hard to have 1.5C in the document. I am so sorry that this
was blatantly obstructed by big emitting countries. Big emitting countries are refusing to cut down emissions, raise ambitions high, nor allowing us to raise our ambitions to1.5, to a level where world temp will not rise over 1.5C. If the talks were allowed to go on and on and on, they would have gone the same way as many other
talks and we would have lost the opportunity. so a group tried to come up with an amicable document – I would be the first person to be unsatisfied with this document - please believe me – if we cannot have a basic understanding of the parameters, we will never have a fruitful conclusion to any talks. this is a beginning, and we can migrate from this to our aspiration. This document allows us to continue negotiations and have a legally binding agreement within 2010.
I beg all nations to please back this document, and do not let these talks collapse.
Egypt suggests inserting the name of countries who have proposed the document, as per India’s suggestion.
Canada, Australia, Sweden and Norway, as well as some developing countries, expressed strong disapproval over Sudan’s statement and asked for the holocaust comment to be withdrawn.Several developing countries, such as Ethiopia, Lesotho, Senegal and PNG, said that this was a compromise document and not at all what they wanted, but they would accept it. PNG says: “100 leaders came here, and we cannot leave this place without something that carries us forward”.
The US and the UK make clear that the 30 billion in fast start financing in the document is conditional on the Copenhagen closing plenary
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(final sequence of interventionsleading to UK request forad journment)
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document being adopted by the COP. The debate continues.
Saudi Arabia Notes he has been working continuously for 48 hours, and asks can we just classify this document as something (don’t throw it away) and we can go home and consider it properly at the next meeting.
UK
Requests to adopt this as a COP decision, recognising (listing on the document) those objecting to this decision. Blocking the idea that this is a MISC or an INF doc - it must be a COP decision, the UK outlines that the choice is between adopting the document and operationalising the finance, or wrecking the conference by
passing the document as an INF.
Nicaragua
All of those present here in this conference were witnesses of what happened in the negotiations in good faith between the group of the Presidency this night – the least we can ask for in a meeting of the United Nations is that the Presidency is consistent and asks for agreements with regards to the nature of the documents of the
Presidency, and the way of carrying forward the work of the working groups in the following year – we don’t agree with changing the agreement that has been reached tonight (referring to the earlier agreement to adopt as a MISC doc (with party approval, extend the mandate of the working groups and close the COP).
Saudi Arabia
I thought my intervention was clear, and it would give me great pleasure to agree by consensus to move this decision forward, but we operate by rules, and are guided by rules, With all due respect Mr Ed Milliband, you cannot put a proposal like this and you as Mr President you cannot put this forward – this is not how this body operates, and we are not going to establish new ways for this body here today
Bolivia
My delegation needs to take the floor, to say that quite a few hours ago a compromise was reached which you expressed in the plenary – this commitment enabled us to continue the work on the basis of agreements which no delegation opposed at the time. This commitment was that the document which has not received consensus
would specify which countries took place in the consultations. This document could then be brought to the future discussions (as a MISC doc). Bolivia want to begin the real work as of now. We want to discuss this document, but we don’t want it to be imposed on us. We want to discuss the African groups proposal, the AOISIS proposal, the proposals many groups have made.
Maldives makes a plea that this document is adopted as a decision as it contains many lifelines, and the Bahamas reinforces that accepting this as a MISC doc means we cannot operationalise the financial offers on the table. The UK again points out that there are two decisions on finance in this doc – in paras 9 and 20, which do need to be operationalised in order to come into effect.
COP President
It is a reality that this party takes its decision by consensus – we have proposed a mechanism where countries have to fill in their commitments to action, when they will become an active partner in this process where money is provided. I will not try to do anything not totally in accordance with the regulations. There are only
two positions – we stick strictly to consensus and then this cannot be adopted. Another option proposed by UK Minister is that we accept some flexibility where we adopt this document but allowing those who don’t want to support this immediately operational agreement, where they can abstain from supporting it.
President asks if anyone is against this – he sees some people are, and says – “I will really regret this, but for that reason we cannot adopt this document. What we perhaps can do, if you will allow the secretariat to consult on procedure – allow countries to register what kind of support his paper can gain... no, closed door. Can’t adopt the paper. Can’t in a formalised way register which countries will subscribe to this”.
UK interrupts by banging Chair, I move an adjournment about proceedings. A short adjournment.
2.5 hours later – proceedings resume Rasmussen has been replaced as COP President by COP Vice-President, Bahamas.
On the basis of extensive consultation by Parties, I will read out to you a decision.
The decision reads: “The conference of the Parties decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of Dec 18 2009. Attached to this decision will be the Accord itself, the list of those agreeing to the accord shall be Copenhagen closing plenary specified in the title” – it is so decided – bang!
The COP is resumed (the decision was taken in the CMP) and other decisions are passed, including to extend the mandate of the two working groups, and some discussion on what to ‘take note’ means.