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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