PRESS CONFERENCE ON 24 September CLIMATE CHANGE EVENT

 

As of now, well over 100 countries would attend the High-Level Event on Climate Change, with over half of them at the head of State or Government level, Richard Kinley told correspondents today at Headquarters.

Briefing journalists on the 24 September Headquarters event, which will convene one day before the beginning of the General Assembly’s general debate, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change said the Secretary-General had decided to convene the event as a recognition of the fact that climate change needed to be addressed at a higher level than that of environmental ministers, because the issue also had developmental and economic impacts.  That recognition had taken root after publication earlier this year of the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

Out of concern that climate change negotiations had not been moving as quickly as necessary, in order to deliver the necessary results during the December conference on climate change in Bali, the Secretary-General had decided to invite the leaders of the world to come to New York on 24 September for a one-day event.  The objective was to increase the momentum leading up to the Bali conference in December, Mr. Kinley said. 

The event consisted of three parts, he continued.  It would open at 9 a.m. with statements by the Secretary-General and others, followed by a series of plenary discussions, to be concluded by the Secretary-General’s closing remarks and a summary of the main conclusions.  Civil society and business could participate in the event.  The Secretary-General would give a press conference afterwards.  A lunch-time event would give an opportunity for informal discussions.

Mr. Kinley announced that a web page had been launched within the new climate change portal of the UN website that would give up-to-date information and a background note had been issued.  The Secretary-General would give a pre-event briefing on 18 September –- to be confirmed.  Due to space limitations and security measures, pooling arrangements for the press might be necessary.  There would be a media centre in Conference Room 1 and all events would be webcast.

Responding to questions, Mr. Kinley said a number of general topics had been identified about which world leaders might wish to speak, as contained in the background note.  However, leaders would say what was on their mind, including their country’s priorities, what actions were being taken and what hopes and aspirations they had for the future.  There would be three to four plenary meetings, going on at the same time.  UNTV would cover all events.  It would be possible to know in advance at what time a certain speaker would take the floor.

Concerning participation, he said the invitation had gone to all countries.  The response had been very encouraging over the whole spectrum, from the countries with large economies, as well as from key-developing countries and vulnerable countries who were very concerned about maintaining momentum and pressure for further action on climate change.

Asked about a connection between the event and the one organized by the United States by the end of September, he answered that they were both leading in the same direction towards an acknowledged need for a more comprehensive agreement on climate change in 2009 or 2010.  The Secretary-General had invited world leaders of all countries to come.  In parallel with that, the United States had announced its initiative to convene the “major economies” in Washington D.C.  The meetings were “complementary and mutually supportive” efforts to come to grips with the problem.

Pressed by correspondents to announce whether President Bush would attend, he said he was not yet ready to answer that question.  Discussions with Washington were still ongoing, but they were extremely encouraging.  A definitive answer could come within a few days.  It was not known yet at which plenary meeting the United States would participate, but it was certain that participation would be at a “high level”.

Asked about the failure during the climate meeting in Vienna last week to reach an agreement on emission reductions of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020, Mr. Kinley said he was very encouraged by the meeting’s outcome.  One of the Vienna events was a Climate Change Convention workshop -– in which all countries participated, including those not active under the Kyoto Protocol.  It had been the fourth in a series of workshops leading up to the Bali conference and had generated a much better appreciation of the issues at stake.  There seemed to be general agreement on the building blocks of what some future climate process would entail.  Such a new regime must be global in reach and be based on sustainable development.  It must treat mitigation and adaptation as equal.  A new element in the discussion had been the question of how current financial flows for development could be changed into something that was more “green” and climate friendly.

Another event in Vienna was a discussion under the Kyoto Protocol regarding new commitments by developed countries.  The discussion about the emission reduction potential in that regard was “a breath of fresh air”, and more than what had been expected.  The fact that at a range of 25 to 40 per cent reduction had been looked at was encouraging.  The discussion would continue in Bali.

The challenge of the Kyoto Protocol -– in which some major countries did not participate –- could not be resolved in one day, Mr. Kinley answered to another question.  The first “commitment period” of the Kyoto Protocol would end in 2012, and the challenge now was to accelerate discussions on a regime for the period thereafter.  The 24 September event was meant to build momentum for a decision at the Bali conference to accelerate discussions towards an agreement.  Such an agreement should involve all countries, including all industrialized countries, responding according to their capabilities and responsibilities.

Reminded that the carbon footprint during the recent General Assembly event on climate change had been offset, Mr. Kinley said that the upcoming meeting had been organized at a time when people were coming anyway for the general debate, in order to offset the carbon emission footprint.  Calculations were being done to estimate the all encompassing amount of emissions, and a donor was prepared to finance the costs of those offsets.

Addressing questions about nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, he said there were divergent views in different countries and within different constituencies on that “very important” issue, ranging from those who think that nuclear power could make a major contribution to weaning the world off of fossil fuels, to those who think that the consequences of, and issues associated with, nuclear power were so important that the emphasis should be placed on other sources, such as solar and renewables.  There was no consensus view on the issue.

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For information media • not an official record