COP27 climate talks extended to Saturday

The UN climate conference, whose negotiations are stalling over funding for poor countries, will be extended until Saturday, its Egyptian president Sameh Shukri said Friday.

"I am determined to finish this conference tomorrow," Choukri said on Saturday, calling on parties to "move up a gear" in the negotiations, originally scheduled to end on Friday.

"I am still concerned about the number of unresolved issues, including finance, mitigation, loss and damage and their linkages," continued Choukri, who is also Egypt's foreign minister.

"I call on the parties to work together to resolve these remaining issues as quickly as possible," he added.

On one important issue, financing for the "loss and damage" already suffered by poor countries, often not responsible for global warming but very exposed to its impacts, things seemed to be moving forward since Thursday evening.

The European Union has made an overture, accepting the principle of creating a "loss and damage fund", subject to conditions and the reaffirmation of strong objectives in terms of reducing emissions and limiting global warming.

A proposed resolution on loss and damage tabled late Thursday by the "facilitators" on the issue also put forward an option on the decision in principle on a specific fund, a pressing demand from developing countries.

Pakistani Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, current chair of the powerful G77+China negotiating group, said on Friday that this option was acceptable, "with some changes that we have submitted" and that negotiations were continuing.