Secretary-General Welcomes Submission of National Climate Action Plans, Calling Contributions ‘First Step’ for Meaningful Paris Agreement

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the submission of national climate action plans (intended nationally determined contributions) by 147 countries, accounting for over 85 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  The submission of intended nationally determined contributions at the 1 October milestone provides a solid foundation for a universal and meaningful climate change agreement in Paris this December.

The Secretary-General welcomes these intended nationally determined contributions as a positive first step.  He calls on countries to include provisions in a Paris agreement that will enable them to regularly review and strengthen the ambition level of their national commitments in line with science.  A Paris agreement must be a turning point and send a loud and clear signal to citizens and the private sector that the transformation of the global economy is inevitable, beneficial and already under way.

The Secretary-General encourages all countries that have not already done so to submit their intended nationally determined contributions before the twenty-first Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris.