Unilateral Declarations: the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan Benito M üller
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Transcript of Unilateral Declarations: the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan Benito M üller
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cbiUnilateral Declarations:
the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan
Benito Müller
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for sustained capacity building in support of international climate change negotiations
pour un renforcement durable des capacités en appui aux négociations internationales sur les changements climatiques
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Sources of International Law
- Treaties- Custom- General principles, judicial decisions, teachings
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Examples
• The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks « not to take action inconsistent with Interim Agreement »
• ICJ “Nuclear Test Case” (France – atmospheric nuclear tests in Pacific):
Act must be public or generally known
Show the intention of a State to be bound
• ICJ “Frontier dispute”: not necessarily directed to one individual state
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The guiding Principles applicable to unilateral declarations of States capable of creating legal obligations (ILC 2006):
- Declaration publicly made + manisfesting will to be bound
- Made by an authority vested to do so (heads of state, heads of Government, Minsters of foreign affairs)
- Form is immaterial
- Stated in clear and specific terms
- May be addressed to individual state(s) or to international community
– - Cannot be revoked arbitrarily: consideration has to be given to:
» terms of declaration,
» extent to which it is relied upon,
» extent to which there have been fundamental change in circumstances
Guiding Principles
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UNFCCC post 2012 – Catch 22
• EU – global and comprehensive climate treaty
• USA – equal treatment to BASIC
• BASIC – differentiated treatment
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• AWG – Long-term Cooperative Action – ‘the compromise’
• Developed country parties – a.o. QELRO’s
• Developing country parties – a.o. NAMA’s
• AWG – Further Commitments for Annex I parties – ‘Kyoto track’
• Did not result in a binding and comprehensive post 2012 framework at COP 15
• Plan A (universal treaty) down - What to do now?
The Bali Compromise
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• Plan B: – KP extension– COP decisions endorsed by Unilateral Declaration
from the US
• Plan C– KP extension– COP decisions endorsed by Unilateral Declaration
from the US + BASIC
Plan B & C