Opening Statement of H.E. Mme Yoriko Kawaguchi, Minister for the Environment on behalf of the Delegation of Japan

November 7, 2001

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Japanese delegation, I wish to express our sincere appreciation to President Elyazghi and the Government of Morocco for hosting this Conference. Japan shall co-operate fully with you and to engage constructively in the negotiations in order to ensure the success of COP7.

Mr. President,

The Bonn Agreement was a major breakthrough which took us closer towards the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Here in Marrakech, we must conclude business left over from the last session. It is only a question of whether all of us can show flexibility, with determination and in the spirit of co-operation, to solve the issues. For this purpose, I am ready, as we had done in Bonn, to fully devote the next few days, or roughly 56 hours, to the consultations. The needs of the present and the future generations cannot wait for prolonged debate on the issues before us. On behalf of the Japanese Government, I pledge to do my utmost to reach agreement at this session.

Mr. President,

Whether we can agree on workable rules for Kyoto mechanisms will be crucial in ensuring efficiency and sustainability of our future actions against climate change. We should seek to establish realistic and predictable rules with limited restrictions in order to enable the various stakeholders to realize their potential for creative activities. These rules can later be improved through adjustments as we operate the mechanisms. Imposing too much constraints on the mechanisms may hinder their smooth functioning to the detriment of all the Parties.

For Japan, in considering the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, it is extremely important that the agreement at COP7 will allow us to combine domestic emissions reductions with fully functioning mechanisms. This is particularly so because Japan's CO2 emission per GDP is among the lowest in developed countries. It is our sincere hope that COP7 will succeed in putting in place effective and workable rules to combat climate change.

In our negotiations, Japan intends to adhere faithfully to the Bonn Agreement. We call upon all Parties not to reopen the Agreement.

Mr. President,

The prospect of a possible entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and the convening of the World Summit for Sustainable Development presents an important opportunity to take a further step in our collective efforts against global warming. Japan firmly believes that effective actions against climate change require a global response in which all countries act under one single rule. We look forward to discussing this issue with our partners so that COP7 will point the way forward.