German Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he expected “strong talks” during the UN climate conference, which runs until November 18. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

Canadian officials at COP27 intend to advance the climate finance agenda for developing countries and engage in “tough discussions” about “losses and damages” related to the impacts of climate change, one of the key challenges of the international gathering.

After arriving in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, where he is leading the country’s delegation, German Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he expected “strong talks” during the UN climate conference, which runs until November 18.

“We are here to be productive partners and to help advance climate action,” Guilbeault said at a news conference from Egypt on Tuesday.

Canada and Germany are hosting an event on Wednesday where they will present an update on financial support for the most vulnerable countries to combat and adapt to the climate crisis. The two countries are co-authors of a report on the steps needed to meet developed nations’ commitment to pay $100 billion a year to poor countries.

“It’s about removing bureaucratic hurdles in accessing project financing, increasing transparency about individual national goals and better mobilizing private financing and multilateral development banks,” said the elected Liberal.

He added that the issue of ‘loss and damage’, which Canada supports including on the agenda of the COP27 negotiations, also needs to be discussed ‘intensively’. The idea is to establish a compensation mechanism for the damage caused by climate change in developing countries.

This article was produced by Frédéric Lacroix-Couture with financial support from Meta Scholarships and The Canadian Press for News.