Unilateral Declarations: the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan Benito M üller
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european capacity building initiative ecbi Unilateral Declarations: the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan Benito Müller e u r o p e a n c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g i n i t i a t i v e é e n n e d e ecbi 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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ecbi. european capacity building initiative initiative européenne de renforcement des capacités. Unilateral Declarations: the Missing Link in the Bali Action Plan Benito M üller. for sustained capacity building in support of international climate change negotiations - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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
eu
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ean
cap
acity
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initia
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tive e
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s ecbi
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
eu
rop
ean
cap
acity
bu
ildin
g
initia
tive e
cbi
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
