1. Conference of Parties to United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC): 21st Session (COP21)
H.N.K.T.Dulani
Assistant Director
Climate Change Secretariat
Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment

2. United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992
The objective of the UNFCCC is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climatic systems.
Sri Lanka has ratified the UNFCCC on 23rd November 1993

3. Kyoto Protocol (KP)
The objective of the protocol is annex 1 parties (Developed Countries) to reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 5.2% of the 1990 level by the period 2008 —2012.
Sri Lanka has ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 3rd September
Second Commitment period for KP is from

5. COP 21 – Paris Agreement
Effective from 2020 – signing from 22 April 2016 until 21 April 2017
Applicable to all parties
Compliance: 55 countries covering 55% of global GHG emission should sign
Main aim:
to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 °C
to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels

6. COP21: Impact on Sri Lanka
Submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions(INDCs)
Mitigation targets according to INDCs
Stocktaking will be done every five years
Support – including finance, for nations to build clean, resilient futures (a goal of at least US$100 billion a year in contributions from developed countries )

7. Way forward
Ratification of the agreement and how it could be applied  provisionally to take fast actions to address climate change and domestic vulnerabilities
Agreement recognizes “right to development” and the need to integrate SDGs to the process.
Moving away from fossil-fuel burning and towards renewable energy as much as possible
Tapping possible climate finance (Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Global Environmental Facility, etc.)