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Vositha's Blog

~ a story of life, love and other things

Vositha's Blog

Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Good Morning

08 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by vositha in poetry or something of the sort., Random Moments of Life, Relationships, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

dating, moving on, poetry, relationships

I tell him

I need

to move on

to get off the roller coaster

not be that person

around

only when he needed.

 

I needed

to love

another,

to gather my life

its bits and pieces

to find my way

to move away.

 

He asks:

“So,

I shouldn’t have said

good morning?”

 

moving on

(c) Creative Commons

The Puppy

17 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

A needy puppy

searching for affection

she felt.

Wounded

yet apparently

having wronged.

Waiting for that sign

Not

received.

 

puppy

(c) Creative Commons

National Adaptation Plans: Cancun to Paris, a Move Forward/ Step Back?

24 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by vositha in ADP 2015, Climate Change, COP21, Uncategorized, UNFCCC

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

climate negotiations, COP21, National Adaptation Plans

In 2010, at the 16th session of the Conference of Parties, the Cancun Adaptation Framework  (CAF) affirmed that adaptation and mitigation need to be addressed with the same level of priority.  The objective of the CAF provides for the enhancement of adaptation action, through international cooperation, and coherent consideration of matters relating to adaptation under the Convention. The ultimate objective of this being the reduction of vulnerability of communities to the impacts of climate change, and building resilience in developing countries especially those that are most vulnerable to climate change.

CAF & NAPs

CAF further introduced the national adaptation plans (NAPs), a key element to address adaptation at national level, as part of the five clusters introduced by the CAF. NAPs was introduced as a process to enable LDC Parties to formulate and implement adaptation actions at the national level. The CAF also invited other developing country Parties to employ modalities developed to support the NAPs.

Since Cancun, the NAPs further evolved through subsequent COP decisions. The adaptation actions are to be undertaken in accordance with the Convention, follow a country-driven, gender-sensitive, participatory and fully transparent approach, taking into consideration vulnerable groups, communities and ecosystems. They are also to be based on and guided by the best available science and, as appropriate, traditional and indigenous knowledge; and be undertaken with a view to integrating adaptation into relevant social, economic and environmental policies and actions. Finance for NAPs for LDCs was requested to be through the Least Developed Countries Fund, and for developing countries to be through the Special Climate Change Fund and the Green Climate Fund, based on country driven, and any preparatory efforts that exist in the country to implement the NAPs.

The question that remains is what role or importance is allocated to NAPs by the Draft Texts for Paris, and what outcomes could be expected for them, based on the documents proposed for negotiations. For the purpose of this article, the choice of language for commitment towards adaptation and NAPs have been considered as binding, and the “best-case” choice of text – using the “shall” bracketed options is considered.

 

COP21 Draft Text for the Agreement

 

Adaptation is included in Article 4 of the negotiating text. Among choices to be made that have grabbed the attention of many is the choice between global goal and long-term vision for adaptation. While agreeing that the global goal on adaptation is important, and that it needs to reflect the level of temperature based on the mitigation targets, and link that to the associated level of adaptation that would be needed, what remains missing in importance seems to be the NAPs in the text. While certain elements to be highlighted in NAPs, such as those of livelihoods, gender equality, economic diversification, ecosystems are reflected through options to be decided on, the direct reference to NAPs remain minute, and not reflecting the amount of time invested in the five years since Cancun to ensure that the formulation, and more importantly the implementation, of NAPs would be a key element in the progress of adaptation actions in countries.

 

The text of Article 4 provides for the need to support “national adaptation plans and other adaptation actions, in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Convention,” and the option is left for Parties to decide whether it should be a binding commitment or non-mandatory. If one were to pick the option “shall” among those options proposed in the bracketed text, as mentioned above if assuming the most optimistic choice of language,  then the Least Developed Countries and the Small Island Developing Countries will be able to hold the developed countries responsible for the provision of support for the NAPs and adaptation actions in their countries.

 

Article 4.6 of the Draft Text caters again (with options as usual, and many a bracket) to mentioning the NAPs. However the previous text on NAPs, the reference to NAPs is listed as an option among others which do not necessarily include the “implementation” aspect that the NAPs include, once again allowing it to be left out of the Agreement. The text provides for the following:  “Each Party, in accordance with [Article 4, paragraph 1, of the Convention and] its national circumstances and priorities (shall) engage in [a] [national] adaptation planning [process], [including national adaptation plans,] and enhance other relevant plans, policies, actions and/or contributions.”

 

A simple analysis of the above option provides that:

  1. a) Engaging in NAPs, and support thereof, is not deemed to be a country commitment
  2. b) “Plans” is a word to be questioned as it would produce a “product”, which makes it likely that a commitment of support for its contents would be sought, as opposed to a more vague wording such as “planning”
  3. c) The word “including adaptations plans” gives Parties the belief that they could pick whether to embark on formulating a NAP or not, and that the choice is somehow for their own benefit, and that a NAP is not considered with sufficient importance that it needs to be allocated.
  4. d) There is also the option of not developing a NAP, but to continue planning, or enhancing plans and policies and other options that exist for Parties to address adaptation needs of the country.

 

Financing NAPs

 

The next mention of NAPs in the Draft Text is through the option on financing for adaptation under Article 4.  The text conspicuously lacks a mandate for international support to be provided by the UNFCCC’s financial mechanism.  Rather, it refers to bilateral support which is neither accountable to the COP nor of which additionality is fully traceable by the Parties.  Additionally, the text merely mentions “plans”, which need not specifically be understood to refer to the actual COP-endorsed NAPs:

 

“[Developed country Parties shall provide developing country Parties, taking into account the needs of those that are particularly vulnerable, with long-term, scaled-up, predictable, new and additional finance, technology and capacity- building, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, to implement urgent, short-, medium- and long-term adaptation actions, plans, programmes and projects at the local, national, subregional and regional levels, in and across different economic and social sectors and ecosystems][Developed countries [shall][should] transfer technology, in particular for early warning systems through United Nations mechanisms in order to make it accessible for all].”

 

Not only do the options not explicitly mention NAPs, they also provide for it to be merged through wording provided and picked out from. It remains doubtful as to whether the intention of the textual proposal encompasses the objective of seeking finance for NAPs including their formulation for all developing countries, or whether the intention is to preserve the ambiguity that leads for finance needs for developing NAPs for all developing Parties to be left outside the commitments on finance by developed countries; the advantage of the wording being that finance for adaptation actions is provided may be interpreted to include and not be limited to NAPs, whereas the disadvantage being that it prevents countries from developing comparable products – plans that are holistic, and covering the needs at national level, based on the already-agreed COP guidelines, that would inevitably facilitate better adaptation which is inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable.

 

The draft decision text requests the Adaptation Committee to take into account of the aggregate temperature level based on the mitigation section of the Agreement, and to refer to the impacts it would have on national adaptation planning in countries. It further emphasises the need for support for LDCs for implementing their NAPs, and the request to the GCF to expedite the process for accessing finance. The question thereby remains for those developing countries that wish to access adaptation finance, and not provided with support for formulating a NAP, or technical support for it. Would the assumption be that all countries are required to develop adaptation policies, and have undertakings under their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, and thereby not provided additional funding for developing them, in turn making it not the issue of providing support for all developing countries to formulate and implement NAPs?

 

NAPs in Paris: A Step Back?

 

In Cancun and in subsequent decisions, NAPs evolved as a means for identifying country driven solutions for adaptation, as well as a way of accessing finance for adaptation for LDCs, as well as other developing countries including SIDS. Decision 3/CP.20 “recognizes that the process to formulate and implement national adaptation plans is fundamental for building adaptive capacity and reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change,” which is different to what is mentioned on NAPs in the COP21 texts.

 

It further adds that NAPs to be “continuous, iterative and long-term nature of the national adaptation plan process, and that … can serve as an important tool for ensuring a common understanding and for communicating progress made towards both reducing vulnerability and integrating climate change adaptation into national and development planning.”

 

In addition to this, in Lima the Parties decided that “there is a need to enhance the reporting on the process to formulate and implement the national adaptation plan,” and also noted “that there is a need to strengthen the existing reporting related to the process to formulate and implement national adaptation plans under the Convention.” An aspect that has been put to question in the COP21 texts, where NAPs are not emphasised, and nor seen as a key focus for reporting on adaptation. The negotiating process seems to be developing selective amnesia where previous gains on adaptation planning and implementation are concerned and is, accordingly, starting the same discussion from scratch, yet ironically with less aspiration than what had already been previously accomplished.

 

The same applies for financing NAPs. If the process is to be in accordance with the Lima Decision on NAPs as agreed by Parties, then the needs for financing of NAPs in LDCs as well as all developing countries need to be addressed. The decision in Lima provided that “the Adaptation Committee and the Least Developed Countries Expert Group, in collaboration with the Green Climate Fund, as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism, consider how to best support developing country Parties in accessing funding from the Green Climate Fund for the process to formulate and implement national adaptation plans, and to report thereon to the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its forty-second session.” The COP21 texts reverse this progress by narrowing this provision of finance only to the LDCs.

 

Where to in Paris?

 

In Paris, countries need to ensure that NAPs are a key element of the adaptation planning and processes of countries, and that the developing country Parties are all supported, specifically by the financial mechanism of the convention, to not only formulate NAPs, but also to implement them in a country driven manner which prioritises the developmental needs as well as increasing the resilience of communities of those countries. The NAPs should not be limited to the LDCs, and/or the SIDS (while special attention may very well need to be allocated to them due to their vulnerabilities) but to all developing countries as a step building on and consistent with the provisions of the Cancun Adaptation Framework. If this is not recognised, then the work on NAPs and adaptation will be moving 5 years behind, as opposed to moving to solve the global needs for adaptation through the Paris Agreement.

 

NAP

 

(c) Creative Commons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Umbrella Universe

22 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by vositha in poetry or something of the sort., Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

independent woman, liberal, society, umbrella

photo1.jpg

She walks

Blocking the view

With her umbrella.

 

No rain

No sun too harsh

Only the world

The people

Judging, doubting

Views of theirs

Of her, on her

What be best for her.

 

She continues

Blocking their looks

With shades united

Of her umbrella universe.

 

 

Of Sunny Days & Tragedies

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

I decided to spend a day writing. Been a while since I decided that I would be sitting in one place, and penning down (of course typing down) all those thoughts I should have done for a while. I have been reading a lot on the topic I wanted to write on, without actually writing anything down. He asks me where the article I said I would write was, and I tell him that I am working on it, while talking to him (multi-tasking much!) which is not a lie, but actually a fact. Then again, I get into doing something else, distracted by some email,  trying to figure out where money goes in some budgets, where my work life is headed, when might be the due “bye bye” time, and what not. Life is in transition as usual, and I make plans for what is to come, post-winter of course. (Winters are times for caving in, not heading out. I think I have established that I like my temperature moderate, around 16 degrees celsius preferably.)

Epiphany : I like sunflowers! I was clearing  up my laptop folders, something like spring-cleaning but more of a digital option I think. Then not exactly in spring. Anyways, I was going through photos, in folders I did not know existed when faces started popping up on my screen, happy faces and sunflowers. I like sunflowers, (yes I know I said this once, no harm in repeating it again, and I love flowers, at least  many of them) they are warm and sunny. I like smiles too, they are warm and sunny, though people who smile are not necessarily sunny, or warm for that matter. I decided to keep some of them, just to question my sunny feelings, and possibly the warm feelings. Good I thought, just to have that random check on robot-status or not. “Check! check! Human? Robot? Other?”

And this week has been enlightening. I discovered a few tragedies thanks to my friends. One was genuinely concerned on finding after almost three and half years that I am a single parent. She announced to me that she was shocked at my tragedy, and that she could not believe how this sort of thing could happen to me. Bless her lovely soul for worrying about me, given my indifference to the tragedy, I would be quite worried about myself too. About my emotional status, and not of course about being a single parent. But yes, “Thank you!”

The second tragedy: Finding out I had put on, on my belly and arms to be precise! Thank you to a very observant observer (yes I like to repeat words for emphasis). He wanted to know what had happened to me, what was wrong, and why I had put on. I was pretty sure I had not changed sizes in clothes, and was creeped by the specific analysis of where I had put on as well, the anatomical observation and all that. (Even indifferent women get creeped out by anatomy specific analysis, or yes they do!) I was not sure whether he creeped me more than one of my bosses who once was protesting over my butter consumption over a working breakfast  and said, “Ah keep on eating that! You have put on so much here!” (indication to the right side of the waist, by pointing at his belly). So no one needs to doubt how much I consumed that morning, though I ensured I put a load of butter on the piece of bread that was in my hand, and made a show of putting it on the bread as well (for dramatic effect of course). He seemed shocked at my non abiding nature of his wonderful, indispensable advice. As for me, I was immensely pleased with myself.

That being said, I intend to keep today sunny, enjoy the tragedy of being a single parent by introducing Akashiv to his new music teacher who will hopefully be able to make him stay focused for 30 minutes (something many of us successfully fail at, unless he is dancing with us of course), and pray to heavens and what ever else up there,  that he would not smash anything in her house which I cannot afford to compensate.

And yes, if you are reading this, thank you for the flowers, and the photos! I like my non-extravagant self being captured over my morning coffee and mails, (even when not voluntarily, though I seem happy)  to remind the world that I am a tragedy, by all means, but they might have to deal with it, till I decide to be otherwise! (it being me of course!)

_LIM4720.JPG

 

Nostalgia II

01 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

flowers

“Cz sometimes I do think you

The way I want to remember you

And not the real  you.”

“Leave politics at home”

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

I get ready to head out, and Aiden decides to text me at the same time. I tell him about the common candidate drama in Sri Lanka, and how some MPs are changing parties. He is not too happy about my little commentary on local politics, is worried that I would go make some random comment, get arrested and he would not see me in a few days. (His perception of the world of politics, or rather his fears of my outbursts).

Probably having grown up in a country where political situations get violent would have made him worried about me. He texts “Love you, leave politics at home, and come home soon.”

It was funny to have someone send me a message like that. He has this strong conviction that one day I would end up being the not so stubborn human being that I am today. He is happy when I tell him that I do not make any comments on things that he does which annoy me and prefer to keep silent over them. He also has a silly belief that he has changed me, or rather calmed me. Unfortunately what he seemed not to have known is that I used to be more of the “I am silent about what you do simply cause I cannot be bothered” before I met him, and that it was just with him that I constantly kept throwing tantrums. (One needs to pick someone who would put up with a tantrum to throw one right?)

Anyways I guess I will not write of the 18th Amendments, or what I think of local politics, just to help Aiden not have a heart attack. Or maybe it is also something to do with that weird sense of not wanting to lose someone for the first time in my life. (Very weird feeling I must say)

He makes me happy, and I like to keep things that way.

Note: I have not written in a while. Work has kept me busy, and most of my writing has been for work. The rest of course been the zillion mails I send out on a daily basis, to Aiden and the rest of the world I feel like bugging for different reasons. Happy end of year to all if I don’t write any time soon again!

Encounters

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Awkward Moments, relationships

You know you have walked into the wrong place when you walk in and find the man-you-did-not-date right in front of you. Thanks to the caipirinha a few minutes before, you tap on his shoulder, and say “hi”, without thinking too much, to receive a “oh hi!” in a surprised tone.

I move to the back of the hall from where I see him checking out a woman dancing next to him, while I hang out with the lovely people I was lucky to be hanging out with, and who deem it extremely necessary that I wear specs, or rather start wearing the specs I already possess. I guess it helps to have a few friends who are faithful enough to see your hurt or bruised ego, and try to nurse it.

I see him a few more times during the breaks, between the puffs of smoke, and his beers. I could always see his bald head from where I was, it was a little distracting, despite the lively conversation that was around.

The bald head distraction continued for a whole while from out of the hall and inside the hall, and I had made peace with myself and the unexpected crashing into him, till he decided to come to the back of the hall, near to where I was with a woman.  Well the day was sure presenting not one, but two surprises!

It finally starts to make sense. The weird conversations while I was away, the weird good bye when I was back made a lot of sense on seeing them together.  I had asked him during his fumbling around the apartment in his awkwardness “What happened to you?” His answer had been, “I don’t know” when it sure should have been “I met someone”.

So naturally friends start analysing her, I get the reality and regain my composure, and Maie comes over and the rest of the day seem better.

Maie seemed to know half of the crowd. His school friends, his college friends, his sports friends and work friends would take turns in spotting him, while I wondered when the crowd would just disperse so I could finally enjoy a few minutes of conversation with him. He seems to have no issues holding my hand in public, and it was a good feeling to be with someone who did not seem to give a fuck about what the world thought of holding hands or not. Most of all I was glad that he was around, especially when I tapped on the shoulder of the man standing in front of me to inform him that I was leaving.

Maie looks in the direction of the guy to whom I said bye on my way out, and goes “That’s the dude?”  I nod and reply “Don’t ask!”

And thankfully he doesn’t.

 

“The Orange Cab”

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Breakups, love, Randomness, relationships

It was one of those days I walked in slightly drunk, smelling a bit of tobacco, to find my parents waiting for me to interpret a deed for them. The usual story, shift from my “fine I shall move on” mood to, “let me interpret this shit for you” mood. Two cocktails never did anything much to me, never will I believe. And stupid music and staying out only brought back memories of him. The man I thought I had left behind, the one who I left well inside his apartment, when I walked out of the place was back in my mind, fumbling around in all his awkwardness.

To top it off, the damn place had to remind me of the man I once called husband. Probably cause  the last time I was there,  I was with him. He had decided to come to ensure some guy was not going to make a move on me. Fat chance of course, but yes, that was the last time I was on that balcony listening to music. It was a weird feeling, because the other just reminded me a lot of the man I married, divorced and never saw for over two years. Was it me, or was it that they were actually having similar traits? One writes, the other scripts. Maybe some form of similarity there, or I just have issues like a third person points out. “You look disturbed, as if some really bad wounds of the past have resurfaced!”

I wanted to ask him “you think?” but I was just a little too tired to pursue that conversation. His humour made me laugh only when in bed, and that too not at frequent intervals. However I like his theory of setting the bar so low, that women would not expect much of him. He tells me to write about things that I have no issues with, cause according to him, I have a ticking list, using which I would check whether the man I am with would fit into that box I deem to be the appropriate partner. “Did you wash your feet before getting into bed? Did you have a bath?” are claimed to be featured in the list. I shall also add to it, “thou shalt not have soap bubbles all over the bathroom walls”. It always baffles me how some people manage to achieve that, but then they do. The bathroom sure does end up looking like some soap bubble land, when they get out of it, and I end up almost breaking my neck slipping over them, and looking up again to notice the same damn bubbles.

Anyways, to keep things short, I have issues with unhygienic people, surely one cannot be blaming me for that?! If everyone kept their feet clean, I would not have to ask that question! Now, would I? I mean, WOULD I?

So yes, coming back to the point, I think I liked this man, not the one who told to my face I have issues when I am sure he has a ton of them too, but the one who is the  one who reminded me of the man I once called the husband. It’s sad how things get confusing in life, and people come to conclusions without reasons to substantiate them (Now tell me who does that? I can name a few of them though).

Have I ever mentioned how I need reasons for everything? Yea, add to that ticking list, “A man needs to be able to justify why he does what he does, or why he says what he says!” Can’t be too hard? Yes? No? Yes?

 

PS: The title has nothing to do with the content. It has a mere significance of keeping my word to the friend who provided me wonderful company, and to whom I said that my next blog post would be titled “The Orange Cab” on leaving the restaurant to find our “Orange Cab”.

 

The Kiss

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by vositha in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

kiss, life, relationships

Everyone has that perfect kiss, or that kiss you believe is the perfect kiss. I am not sure whether I had such till I did end up having my perfect kiss. On a random Sunday, over a random conversation over creeps and coffee, and at a random moment when I reached to place my mug on the table, the kiss happened. And I knew it was perfect.  

It was that moment you open your eyes, and realise, this is it! With a pair of eyes looking at you the way they do in movies, and going “what the hell just happened?” before reaching out to continue what just happened.

Well, call me cheesy, but I am sure all have had a few movie moments in their lives, where out of nowhere when you end up waiting to catch your breath wondering what the hell just happened. Even if all may not have lived that moment, I am sure I am not amongst a super minority who lived this.

So movies have happy endings for such kisses. Reality of course has other plans, usually not the perfect ending, with people walking into the sunset holding hands.

Sometimes the perfect kiss ends in an awkward peck on the lips. That I know for sure. One awkward peck over a goodbye hug, good bye kiss on the cheek, and then a good bye peck on the lips, post a lot of awkward fumbling around the apartment, trying to find out what to say, fixing her watch because she needs to change the time having shifted across time zones, and an awkward silence in between as he had called it quits two days before her return. An awkward peck because she was seated in front of him which he probably did not expect after an over the phone goodbye with her miles away from him. Yes perfect kisses do end up in awkward pecks.

Then again, I wonder who the hell really cares? I mean easy way out, give the kiss its due credit and move on. A kiss is a kiss in its perfection. As for the later awkwardness, just call it man’s sheer stupidity.

 

 Note: I have not written in a while, was too busy typing out mails and things that were deemed a little more serious than penning my thoughts. Thank you to that one who made me realise that I still do have things to pen down, with you around with perfect kisses or without you around to block the awkwardness.

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