Seventh Ministerial on Climate Action (MOCA) co-convened by European Union, China, and Canada

(1) Date and location
　　July 13 and 14, 2023, in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium

(2) Co-conveners
      European Union (EU), People’s Republic of China, and Canada
       (Co-chairs: Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans of the European Commission, Minister Huang Runqiu of Ecology and Environment of China, and Minister Steven Guilbeault of Environment and Climate Change of Canada

(3) Participants
     In addition to co-conveners from EU, China, and Canada, 28 minister-level representatives, including Minister Al Jaber of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change and COP28 President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the representatives of three international organizations, including Executive Secretary Simon Stiell of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), participated in the meeting. From Japan, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Environment KUNISADA Isato participated in the meeting.

MOCA is a meeting at which minister-level representatives of major countries and the host country of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC of each year discuss major negotiation agenda of COP. Usually about 30 countries participate in this meeting. Japan has participated in every meeting since the first MOCA.
At this meeting, a keynote speech was followed by discussions on issues toward COP28 according to the following themes: Global Stocktake, finance for loss and damage, strengthening cooperation for mitigation actions, enhancing adaptation action, and delivering climate finance.
In his keynote speech, Minister Al Jaber explained the following four pillars toward COP28:
- Fast-tracking the energy transition
- Setting the framework for a new deal on finance
- Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action
- Mobilizing for the most inclusive COP
 
The participants came to this meeting with the clear understanding that they have a really hard task ahead for COP28: they need to operationalize what was agreed on in COP27 for responding to loss and damage, and to document the findings of their collective stocktake exercise for what is needed to be done to bend the curve of greenhouse gas emissions downwards. In order to have the means to do all that, they need to push for a major shift in the structure of the global economy, financial market, and investments to enable more action and ambition.
They are calling for an injection of political momentum on the Global Stocktake. The Global Stocktake does not stop at COP28, but it will shape their future ambition, allowing them to keep the 1.5-degree target within reach.
The participants recognized the importance of the global energy transition and discussed moving away from unabated fossil fuels and accelerating the phase in renewable energy and energy efficiency through concrete targets. They are under an obligation to show that what they do also leads to a just transition where they will leave no one behind
They all agreed that they need to instruct their representatives in Loss and Damage Transitional Committee to seek the necessary compromises in order to help them consider a solid set of recommendations for the next ministerial meeting. Participants recognized that the member countries need to help the transition committee in compiling recommendations based on the COP27 decision by providing appropriate instructions to the committee on financial measures for loss and damage.
It is clear that there will be multiple pathways towards the global goal and adaptation. They are confident that in COP28, they will manage to reflect on the good progress made and the results achieved at a national and regional level.
They all agreed that they need to shift trillions of finance flows towards climate action. They need to reorient investments from emitting activities to renewable energy and low carbon climate resilient solutions.
Therefore, all of them need to discuss this not only in COP28, but in all relevant forums.
 
From Japan, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Environment Kunisada stated that the Global Stocktake should include a commitment by all countries to peak global GHG emissions immediately and by no later than 2025. It is important for all countries, especially major economies, to align their NDCs and Long-Term low GHG emission development strategies consistent with the 1.5-degrees target. To achieve this, domestic and international public and private finance flows need to be consistent with a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate resilient development in line with Article 2.1c. Regarding the funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage, including a fund, Japan emphasizes that the fund should target its support on particularly vulnerable developing countries, and that it should have a broad source of funding to which emerging countries would also contribute. He emphasized that disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery are among the priorities that need to be urgently strengthened. To this end, the G7 developed the "G7 Inventory on Climate Disaster Risk Reduction, Response and Recovery" so that particularly vulnerable countries can utilize it and have access to technical and financial assistance for immediate actions. He reiterated the importance of simultaneously achieving the common goal of net zero and realizing safety, energy security, economic efficiency, and the environment under various pathways according to each country's situation. Regarding demand-side measures, Japan is working to create new and affluent lifestyles that lead to decarbonization and is willing to share policies and experiences on this national movement with other countries. Lastly, he introduced the fact that Japan has established the "Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership” to provide capacity building on implementation by developing countries.