Paris Climate Agreement: Gambia Missing From the List of Signing Countries.

Paris Climate Agreement. Source: UN

The signing ceremony of the Paris Climate Agreement which was adopted last December, took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday 22nd April 2016. A total of 175 countries signed the agreement which is seen as an extraordinary show of support that have exceeded the historical record for first-day signatories to any international agreement.

Speaking at the ceremony, the UN secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon expressed his delight at the ‘strong spirit of multiculturalism’ saying: “I am very pleased to see so much support and political momentum to move the Agreement forward.”  The UN boss went further to add that; “the participation by so many countries today, and the attendance by 55 world leaders, along with leaders from civil society and the private sector, leaves no doubt that the world is determined to take climate action.”

It could be recalled that the Paris Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015. In the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Implementation of the Paris Agreement is essential for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides a roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience (UN).

As already known, 175 countries out of the 196 that agreed the deal back in December appeared on the official list of signatories to the agreement as published by the UN. So, that means a total of 21 countries including The Gambia are yet to sign, or have decided against signing the agreement after all. Individual countries might have different reasons for not taking part in the signing ceremony. However, there are reports from some groups calling for developing nations to boycott or not rush into signing the agreement.

It is worth remembering that signing the agreement is just the initial step. Countries must now seek formal ratification and approval through their individual governments. The agreement could only enter into force after 55 countries accounting for 55% of global emissions deposit their instruments of ratification. Fifteen countries have already submitted their ratifications during the signing ceremony. We do hope that other signatories follow these rapid reactions so the agreement come into force sooner rather than later.