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Karta Aberta ba Primeiru Ministru Xanana Gusmão
Open Letter to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão

Timor-Leste Labele Asina Akordu Copenhagen
Timor-Leste Should Not Sign Copenhagen Accord

Dili,16 Marsu 2010

Exmo. Senhor Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Primeiro Ministro da Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste

La’o Hamutuk hakerek karta ida ne’e ba ita-boot relasiona ho Akordu ne’ebé rezulta husi Konferensia Mudansa Klimatika iha Copenhagen, Dinamarka iha fulan Dezembru 2009. La’o Hamutuk mos partisipa iha Konferensia ida ne’e, no ami kontinua atu ajuda povu no estadu Timor-Leste atu komprende asuntu importante ne’e, no halo asaun konstrutivu. 

Ami fiar katak delegasaun Nasaun Timor-Leste nian, hatoo ona aprezentasaun  ba ita-boot sira kona ba saida mak rezultadu husi Copenhagen, no ita-boot sira sei foti desizaun atu simu rezultadu ne’e ka la simu.

Hafoin fila husi konferensia ne’ebá, Governu Timor Leste too agora seidauk foti desizaun kona ba pozisaun ba Akordu Copenhagen. Ami kontente katak governu Timor-Leste  fo tempu atu tetu didiak antes foti desizaun ruma kona ba ne’e. Los duni, desizaun ne’ebé atu foti importante tebes tanba ne’e presiza tetu didiak nia diak no nia aat. Hanesan ami hakerek iha kraik, ami sujere katak diak liu Timor-Leste rezeita Akordu ida ne’e.

Tuir mai ne’e pontu hirak ne’ebé ami hanoin katak Konsellu Ministru bele konsidera wainhira atu foti desijaun kona ba Akordu Copenhagen.

  1. Governu Timor-Leste ratifika Konvensaun Mudansa Klimatika (UNFCCC) no Protokolu Kyoto (KP), tanba Timor-Leste hakarak kontribui ba hadiak fali klima. Akordu Copenhagen la responde ba objetivu Timor-Leste nian. Akordu ne’e mai husi grupu kiik ne’ebé lakohi responsabiliza ba sira nia hahalok aat ne’ebé estraga ona klima mundu tomak nian. Delegasaun Timor-Leste nian ba ho pozisaun ida ne’ebé klaru no diak, no ami fiar katak delegasaun Timor-Leste sei iha nafatin kbiit moral atu defende pozisaun ne’e. Pozisaun ne’ebé defende laos husi Timor-Leste deit maibe husi nasaun kiik no kiak barak ne’ebé hetan impaktu maka’as husi mudansa klimatika ne’e.

  2. Timor Leste hola parte iha grupu LDC (Least Developed Countries)  nomos SIDS (Small Island  Developing States). uir informasaun ne’ebé ami rona, Timor-Leste sai porta voz ba grupu sira ne’e iha Copenhagen wainhira halo negosiasaun. Ida ne’e honra boot ida ba Timor-Leste, no ami hein Timor-Leste labele sama fali honra boot atu defende nasaun foin dezenvolve no nasaun ilha kiik sira nia inspirasaun.

  3. Relatoriu ba dala haat husi sientista sira ne’ebé halibur an iha IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) hatoo ona katak wainhira mundu la hatun nia emisaun gas estufa too 40-45% husi tinan 1990  iha tinan 2020 no 85-90% iha tinan 2050, mundu sei hasoru dezastre boot, no nasaun ilha kiik sira barak mak sei lakon. Ida ne’e la konta ho nasaun kiik sira ne’ebé la lakon maibe sofre ba tasi sae, rai manas, rai maran, nsst. Timor-Leste iha responsabilidade moral no interese nasional atu defende nasaun kiik no ilha kiik sira nia direitu atu eziste nafatin.

  4. Nasaun balun mak asosia ona ba Akordu ne’e. Timor-Leste mos sei iha tentasaun atu asosia ba Akordu ne’e, karik tanba hakarak hetan fundu husi Green Climate Fund ka hetan asesu ba fasilidade seluk. Maibe Akordu ne’e, laos Akordu COP 15 nune’e Akordu ne’e la troka fundus sira ne’ebé iha ona Protokolu Kyoto nia regulasaun. Ami fiar katak, fundus ne’ebé iha Protokolu Kyoto nia regulasaun hanesan fundus husi Global Environmental Facility (GEF), too oras ne’e sei natoon ba Timor-Leste atu halo asaun ruma hasoru mudansa klimatika. Ami hanoin katak ho asosia ba Akordu Copenhagen, nasaun kiak no ilha kiik sira hafraku sira nia pozisaun ba negosisaun iha COP 16 iha Mexico no mos negosiasaun sira seluk iha futuru, no ida ne’e taka dalan atu hetan rezultadu ne’ebé diak ba hadiak fali klima. Deklarasaun katak se ita asosia iha Akordu ne’e mak ita bele halo tan negosiasaun iha futuru ne’e deklarasaun la los, tanba negosiasaun hotu hala’o iha UNFCCC nia okos laos iha Akordu Copenhagen nia okos.

  5. Akordu Copenhagen kontra prinsipiu baziku UNFCCC nian, inklui prinsipiu “common but differentiated responsibilities” no ida ne’e sei fo impaktu ladiak ba nasaun dezenvolve-an sira. Akordu ne’e mos kontra komitmentu hanesan iha Protokolu Kyoto nia okos tanba, loke dalan ba nasaun dezenvolvidu sira atu hatun sira nia emisaun konforme sira nia hakarak deit, la tuir desijaun husi COP. Akordu ne’e mos laos Akordu demokratiku ida, katak nasaun grupu kiik ida deit mak halo, laos nasaun hotu iha COP nia okos mak halo. Ida ne’e kontra prinsipiu konsensus nian ne’ebé UNFCCC uja. Akordu ne’e kontra prinsipius barak iha UNFCCC no Protokolu Kyoto nia laran tanba ne’e, asosia ba Akordu ne’e hanesan deit ho asosia kontra UNFCCC no Protokolu Kyoto ne’ebé Timor-Leste ratifika ona.

  6. Mekanismu REDD+ (Reduction Emission from Forest Deforestation  and Degradation), mekanismu merkadu nian ida, ne’ebé sei fo benefisiu ba nasaun dezenvolve-an sira, maibe benefisiu ne’e kiik liu kompara ho estragus ne’ebé mosu, tanba nasaun dezenvolvidu sira kontinua nafatin hasae sira nia emisaun. Asaun kuidadu ailaran, asaun ne’ebé nasaun hot-hotu tenki halo tanba ne’e ba nasaun ida-idak nia diak no la presiza nasaun dezenvolvidu selu depois sura fali hanesan sira nia redusaun ba emisaun. REDD la justu ba nasaun foin dezenvolve sira tanba REDD fo impaktu ladiak ba povu indigena barak ne’ebé hela  besik ka iha ailaran, depende nia moris ba fonte iha ailaran, no iha kultura ne’ebé liga ho ailaran tuan sira. Ba Timor-Leste, programa reflorestasaun tenki hala’o duni atu proteze Timor-Leste nia rai, bee, animal fuik, no rikusoin ailaran nian ne’ebé durante tinan atus ba atus nia laran hetan estragus ba bebeik.

  7. Ikus liu, ami hanoin katak antes foti desizaun ita-boot sira bele hetan tempu ruma, koalia ho ema husi nasaun sira ne’ebé vulneravel teb-tebes, hanesan nasaun ilha kiik sira iha pasifiku, nasaun kiak sira iha Afrika, Amerika Latina no mos nasaun sira seluk tan ne’ebé oras ne’e simu impaktu maka’as husi mudansa klimatika. Saida mak sira hakarak? Nasaun dezenvolvidu sira hatun sira nia emisaun, ka nasaun dezenvolvidu sira selu sira atu kuidadu sira nia ailaran? Se tuir prinsipiu UNFCCC no Protokolu Kyoto nian, nasaun dezenvolvidu sira tenki halo buat rua ne’e hotu tanba sira iha debe klimatiku ne’ebé sira tenki selu. Debe ba estragus ne’ebé mosu ona tanba emisaun ne’ebé sira hasai.

  8. Rekomendasaun

Ami hanoin katak iha pojisaun balu ne’ebé Timor-Leste bele konsidera atu foti nudar desijaun:

  • “Hein no hare”, liu-liu atu hare se nasaun dezenvolvidu sira submete duni proposta  redusaun emisaun ida ne’ebé adekuadu ka lae.

  • Rezeita no la asosia ho Akordu

La’o Hamutuk rekomenda ba Governu Timor Leste atu rezeita no labele asosia ba Akordu Kopenhagen bazeia ba razaun sira ne’ebé mak ami temi iha leten. Maibe se karik governu iha nafatin hakarak atu asosia diak liu hein ba proposta redusaun emisaun husi nasaun dezenvolvidu sira (opsaun primeiru). Se karik sira hakarak hatun emisaun ne’ebé la adekuadu ho sira nia responsabilidade, ida ne’e bele sai hanesan konsiderasaun antes foti desizaun ruma. Asosia ba Akordu antes hatene sira nia komitmentu hanesan deit ho asina karta ka cek mamuk ida depois mak sira priense. Presiza mos konsidera katak Akordu Copenhagen  la kaer ba prinsipiu UNFCCC nian no mos Protokolu Kyoto nian. 

Ne’e deit mak ami nia hanoin no rekomendasaun, ami agradese ba ita-boot sira nia konsiderasaun ba karta ne’e. Ami fiar katak ita-boot sira sei halo desizaun ne’ebé matenek kona ba asuntu ne’e.

Ho sinseridade,

Ines Martins, Juvenal Dias no Maximus Tahu
Tim Mudansa Klimatika La’o Hamutuk

Original is Tetum, English is a translation

Link to web page about climate change in Timor-Leste

Dili, 16 March 2010

Excellency  Mr. Xanana Gusmão
Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

La’o Hamutuk is writing this letter to you regarding the result of the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. La’o Hamutuk participated in this conference, and we continue to help Timor-Leste’s government and people to understand this important issue, and take constructive action. 

We believe that Timor-Leste Government delegation has already presented the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference to you, and you will decide whether to accept or reject it. 

After returning from the conference, the Government of Timor-Leste has not yet made a decision on the Copenhagen Accord (CA). We’re happy that the Timor-Leste government is taking some time to consider this accord before making a decision, because it will be a very important decision. And as we suggest below, we ask the Timor-Leste to reject this Accord.  

Below are some points we think that the Council of Ministers should consider before making a decision about the CA.

  1. The government of Timor-Leste has ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol (KP), because Timor-Leste has a strong commitment to contribute to repair the climate. The CA is not consistent with Timor-Leste’s objective and commitment on climate change. It came from a small group who don’t want to take responsibility for their actions which have destroyed the global climate. We know that the Timor-Leste delegation went to the conference in Copenhagen with a clear and good position, and we hope they continue to have the moral courage to defend their position. This position is defended, not only by Timor-Leste, but also by many small and poor countries that have been hit hard by the negative impacts of climate change.

  2. Timor-Leste is part of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing Countries (SIDS). Based on information from the government delegation to Copenhagen, Timor-Leste represented these groups in negotiations with developed and industrialized countries. This was a big honor for Timor-Leste, and we hope that we will not betray it, the honor to defend small developing and small islands countries’ rights.

  3. The fourth report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that if the world does not decrease its emission by 40-45% (from 1990 levels) by 2020, and by 85-90% in 2050, the earth will face a huge disaster, and many small islands will disappear. This does not include countries that will suffer because of the sea level rising, hotter climate, drought, etc.  Timor-Leste has the moral responsibility and national interest to defend small countries and small islands’ right to continue to exist.

  4. Some countries have associated with the Copenhagen Accord. Timor-Leste may also be tempted to associate to this Accord to get funding from the Green Climate Fund, or to get access to other facilities. But this accord is not a Conference of Parties (COP) agreement, so it does not replace funding under UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. We believe that funding under Kyoto Protocol, such as the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), is currently enough for Timor-Leste to implement initial actions related to climate change. We think that by associating with the Copenhagen Accord, small and poor countries will weaken their positions in COP 16 (Mexico) and other future negotiations, and this is certainly will make it more difficult to achieve a just solution for climate change. It is not correct that we can only be involved in future negotiations on climate change by associating to this accord, because the negotiations about climate change in COP are done under the UNFCCC, not the Copenhagen Accord.

  5. The Copenhagen Accord contradicts some basic principles of the UNFCCC, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. It also contradicts the Kyoto Protocol because it leaves it up to the developed countries to reduce their emissions, with no legally binding targets. It is not a democratic agreement because it was decided only by a small group of countries, not by all countries in COP. This is against the principle of consensus in the UNFCCC. If Timor-Leste associates to this Accord, we are going against some principles in UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol that we have ratified.

  6. The Reduction Emissions from Forest Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) mechanism is a market mechanism that will give very little benefits to developing countries, compared to the disaster caused by emissions from developed and industrialized countries. Taking care of their forests is an action should that all developing countries should undertake for their own good, and developed countries should not count it as emission reduction by their country only because they funded it. REDD+ is injustice for developing countries because it inflicts negative impacts on people living near or in forest areas, whose livelihoods depend on the forest and whose culture links them with the forest. Timor-Leste, with or without the REDD mechanism, has to take care of it forests to protect land, water, flora, fauna and other forest resources that have been destroyed over hundreds of years.

  7. Finally, we think that it is important for you to talk to people in countries that have suffered and continue to be highly vulnerable to climate change, in Africa, Latin America, and other countries who have suffered the most from climate change. What they want? Should developed countries to reduce their emissions, or to they want to be paid to take care of their forests? The UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol clearly give the responsibility to developed countries to do both. They have a climate debt they should pay.

  8. Recommendation

There are two positions for the government of Timor-Leste to consider:

  • “Wait and see”, to know if the developed and industrialized countries propose adequate emission reductions, or not.

  • Reject and not associate with the Accord

La’o Hamutuk recommends that the Timor-Leste Government reject the accord based on the reasons we have described. But, if the government of Timor-Leste insists on associating with the accord, we recommend that you to take the first option: wait and see the commitments from developed countries to reduce their emissions before making a decision. Associating with the accord before knowing the commitments from developed countries is signing a blank check for them. Timor-Leste needs to consider that the Copenhagen Accord is not based on the principles in the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol.

That’s all our opinion and recommendations, thank you for your consideration of this letter, and we believe that you will make a wise decision on this issue.

Sincerely,

Ines Martins, Juvenal Dias and Maximus Tahu
Climate Change Team - La’o Hamutuk

 

The Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis (La’o Hamutuk)
Institutu Timor-Leste ba Analiza no Monitor ba Dezenvolvimentu
Rua D. Alberto Ricardo, Bebora, Dili, Timor-Leste
P.O. Box 340, Dili, Timor-Leste
Tel: +670-3321040 or +670-77234330
email: 
laohamutuk@gmail.com    Web: http://www.laohamutuk.org    Blog: laohamutuk.blogspot.com