Mr. Ross Fitzpatrick:

I will briefly add to Ms Curran's remarks about the principles that need to be front and centre regarding this fund. All we have now is an empty pot. We have a year to get to COP28 and we need to ensure that the money is distributed to the most vulnerable countries in an equitable way. There are two crucial dates to bear in mind. The first is 15 December, which is the deadline for nominations to the transitional committee. That will figure out the operational modalities of the fund. As Ms Curran mentioned, it would be great to see Ireland as a member of that committee. As the EU negotiator on loss and damage during COP27 we could bring a wealth of experience . Even if we are not on that committee Ireland should work to ensure it is equipped with the necessary resources to carry out its work effectively. There is a role for us to play even if we are not on the committee. There will be ten developed countries on the committee and 14 developing countries The second crucial date to bear in mind is 15 February 2023. By that date parties should have submitted reports or submissions on topics for the loss and damage workshop, which is to be set up in 2023. Again, this is to figure out how the fund will operate. We would encourage members to play an active role in ensuring that the submission process has the principles outlined initially by Ms Curran. Those are common but differentiated responsibility, equity and historical responsibility. These really need to be at the front and centre of the process.