Statement by Senior Minister S Jayakumar at the Closing Plenary of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP-16) High Level Segment in Cancun, 11 December 2010

Madame President

Let me congratulate you and the Government of Mexico for the successful hosting of the 16th session of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Cancun. I must personally commend you for your strong leadership, patience and elegance with which you have steered this Conference. Your tireless efforts in ensuring transparency, trust and inclusiveness in these negotiations over the year has helped to build the confidence and trust necessary for our work in Cancun.

Madame President

The text that we have before us represents a delicate balance of competing interests and demands. Hence it is not a perfect document for each and every one of us. In any negotiations, not everyone will get what they want and this text provides for the necessary compromises. There are some missing elements. There are also elements that need clarification. However, we look at this document not as an end but as a step forward. It puts us on the path towards global convergence and cooperation in the field of climate change.

In our view, this document before us builds on the principles and provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Bali Action Plan. It will lay a strong foundation for our work in 2011 as we strive towards an agreed legally binding outcome at Durban.