UNDP Resident Representative in China：Cooperation Is the Only Way to Success

By staff reporter TANG SHUBIAO

China Today interviewed Renata Lok Dessallien, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in China, after she attended a side event held by the Chinese delegation at the Cancunmesse International Convention and Exhibition Center on December 1. 

China is ahead of many countries in responding to climate change. That’s the judgment of UNDP representative Renata Lok Dessallien after hearing a presentation by Su Wei, deputy head of the Chinese delegation and China’s chief negotiator. China’s emission reduction goals and measures, and the efforts and progress made in this respect were lauded in Ms. Dessallien’s speech. Thirty years ago, when climate issues were under most of the world’s radar, China had already begun to take actions that delivered swift and positive results. But Ms. Dessallien also believes that China’s agenda on climate change response  is by no means exhausted.

Dessallien told China Today that buzz about the Cancun Conference is low compared to the Copenhagen Meeting, which raised expectations but turned out to be disappointing. Our lesson learned, cooler and more pragmatic heads now prevail. The media and many delegates are already looking forward to the South Africa Conference in 2011 in hopes of better results.

Dessallien was reserved and cautious on the question of what achievements will come out of Cancun. She thought the event would yield some results one way or another, and felt the third day into the meeting was too early to make any predictions. She did stress that success could be possible only through cooperation of all parties at the conference.

As of the criticisms and misreading of China after the Copenhagen Conference, Ms. Dessallien said they might be explained by the threat and pressure some countries feel toward a nation with a huge population experiencing rapid growth. This is what prompted the invitation to Su Wei to deliver a brief on China’s climate change policies and actions at this side event.

Ms. Dessallien dodged the question about what role China should play at the conference with the quip, “You are Chinese. You should have a better idea.” She agreed with me that China has done a lot within its means, and that it cannot solve an issue like global warming  single-handedly. A solution is possible only after the international community stops brawling and takes concerted action. Ms. Dessallien promised to grant a longer interview with the magazine following her return to Beijing.

Also present during the interview was Goerild Heggelund, a UNDP senior consultant on climate change. This Norwegian lady learnt Chinese at Peking University in the 1980s. 

Ms. Heggelund said making headway at these conferences is always a slow and incremental process because the current negotiation system involves all parties concerned. This system ensures that opinion-sharing is not dominated by a couple of super powers.

Japan’s selection by NGO Climate Action Network for its Fossil of the Day awards seems a deserved dishonor. The opposition to an extension of the Kyoto Protocol (scheduled to expire in 2012) voiced by Japanese negotiators has produced dismay and concern, especially to countries doing their best to mitigate climate change.

Ms. Heggelund said she was buried in conference affairs and had no knowledge of the incident, but presumed that Japan’s position could be attributed to domestic pressures and its lean potential for further emission reduction. She said it was regrettable that Japan felt compelled to block a treaty reached on its own soil and named after one of its major cities. Japan will have more to lose than gain by the current stance.

(The interview received assistance from Judy Li of UNDP New York Office)