Office of the President, Ambo, Kiribati, 12 November 2010—Kiribati's Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) ended this week by giving birth to the Ambo Declaration, a resolution of grave concern on the climate crisis calling for an immediate action on climate change funds.

The one-day intensive talks dragged on to the late hours of the evening, before delegates from frontline states such as the Maldives and the Marshall Islands and major developing nations, including Brazil and China, agreed on 18 points.

The 18 points of the Ambo Declaration recorded the signatories ' concerns on the urgency of the climate crisis calling for immediate access to adaptation funds to meet and address current and projected impacts of climate change.

In a press conference at the end of the day, Kiribati leader and Chair of the Tarawa Climate Change Conference—President Anote Tong, told reporters that the Ambo Declaration will contribute hopefully to some positive steps forward in the Cancun negotiations which is just weeks away.

"I am realistic enough to understand that the process will go on for quite some time, the negotiations will carry on but I also believe that there is sufficient conscience and good will existing in this global community at least to address the urgent issues now." President Tong said.

In a nation where one can throw a stone and actually hit the other side of the island, the climate crisis will be an issue Kiribati will never tire of raising and while the climate talks on Tarawa may have put the drowning atoll nation on the map, this will not promise its continued existence.

"The message we are trying to make here very clearly is that we are running out of time and as long the global community continues to debate, it may be too late for some countries." President Tong added.

With the failed talks in Copenhagen, the hope now is up for Cancun as the adoption of the Ambo Declaration is in itself, a foretaste of what can be achieved in Cancun.

The Ambo Declaration was adopted by 12 countries namely Australia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tonga. The United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, who also attended the conference, chose not to be part of the declaration by taking Observer status.

Contact

For further information, please contact:

Press Liaison Unit
Office of Te Beretitenti (Office of the President)
P.O. Box 68
Bairiki
Tarawa
KIRIBATI

Tel: +686 21183/22650
Fax:+686 21902

Email:press@climate.gov.ki