Press |

October 5, 2016

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Advocacy

CARE welcomes the rapid progress in the ratification of the historic Paris Agreement at COP21 on climate change which will now enter into force on 4 November 2016. The critical threshold of countries’ combined emissions share of 55% has been surpassed today, triggering the entry into force 30 days later.

“CARE welcomes the entry into force of the Paris Agreement as a strong win for multilateralism that can benefit the world’s poorest people who are also the most affected by the impacts of climate change. But for us to see these benefits, we need to keep the momentum, and quickly step up actions to cut emissions by shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Governments need to rapidly improve the climate resilience of their most vulnerable and marginalised populations especially women and girls. Otherwise the Agreement will be an empty shell, and the consequences will continue to be devastating for millions around the world.”

Wolfgang Jamann, CEO and Secretary General, CARE International

As a contribution to the Paris Agreement’s implementation, CARE will continue to advocate for climate-just policies and develop sustainable solutions to address climate change with a focus on approaches that empower women and girls and lead to gender-transformative outcomes across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance to long-term development.

The Paris Agreement requires 55 countries with 55% of global emissions to deposit their instruments of ratification with the UN in order to become law 30 days following this action. With the recent approval of India and various European countries, the 55% emission threshold was passed on 5 October, 2016.