[A2k] Invitation to CIEL Technology Transfer Side Event in Poznan, Dec 2, 2008

[Dalindyebo Bafana Shabalala]

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Dear Friends,
(with apologies for cross-postings)

For those of you  attending the UNFCCC Climate Change meeting in Poznan,
Poland, CIEL is pleased to invite you to a discussion panel on "*Climate
Change and Technology Transfer: Principles and Procedures for Technology
Transfer Mechanisms under the UNFCCC"*.

The meeting will be held in Room "White Tailed Eagle" at 6.00pm,
December 2nd, 2008 at the conference facilities at the Poznan
International Fair.

Speakers will include Martin Khor (Third World Network), Dalindyebo
Shabalala (Centre for International Environmental Law), Chee Yoke
Ling(Third World Network) and commentators.

Transfer of technology is one of the pillars of any international
response to global climate change.  The Kyoto protocol was built on a
basic political bargain.  On one side, under the first commitment
period, industrialized countries would take primary responsibility for
emissions reductions.  They would provide a demonstrated example of
carbon-free development, while transferring technology that would enable
developing countries to make progress in reaching the same level of
carbon efficiency.  Thus, carbon leakage, i.e. the shifting of polluting
carbon-inefficient industries from industrialized to developing
countries, would be avoided.  The success of the first phase would then
enable developing countries to take on emissions reduction obligations
in the second commitment period along a clean development path.

Industrialized countries, however, have largely failed to provide
measurable, reportable, verifiable, and effective transfer of
environmentally sound climate-related technologies.  This failure was a
primary bone of contention during the Bali Conference in December 2007,
and lay behind the refusal of developing countries to agree to take on
specific emission reduction obligations in the post-Kyoto period. The
Bali Action Plan identifies technology transfer as a key element leading
up to 2012 and beyond and refocuses the work of the UNFCCC's Expert
Group on Technology Transfer (EGTT)However, beyond the failure of
political will, the basic failure of technology transfer has been
institutional.  There is little or no understanding of the specific
mechanisms needed to ensure effective technology transfer, at the
national level in developing and industrialized countries, and at the
multilateral level to connect differing national actors and achieve
multilateral mitigation and adaptation goals.

CIEL's panel, will explore the national and multilateral institutional
architecture  necessary to enhance capacity building and technology
transfer at all points along the technology chain.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

best,
Dalindyebo Shabalala
Director, Project on Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development
Center for International Environmental Law

Rue des Savoises 15
1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 321 4774
Fax: +41 22 489 0739
www.ciel.org