Activities of Secretary-General in France, 28 November-1 December
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew on Saturday, 28 November, from Malta to Paris, for the opening of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as the Paris Climate Change Conference or COP21.
On Sunday morning, the Secretary-General met with representatives of civil society working on climate change, with whom he reiterated his commitment to work with world leaders for the adoption of an ambitious and universal agreement at the Conference.
He then held a bilateral meeting at L’Elysée with François Hollande, President of France, with whom he extensively discussed the status of the negotiations, as well as the way forward.
He also gave a series of interviews with major national and international media ahead of the official opening of the Conference, and held a bilateral meeting with the Vice-President of Yemen, Khaled Bahah. He urged the Government of Yemen and the Houthis to engage as soon as possible in dialogue, without preconditions.
In the evening, he attended the launch of a lighting of the Eiffel Tower by the 1 Heart 1 Tree organization, along with French actress Marion Cotillard and indigenous Chief Raoni Metuktire. At the event held at the Mona Bismarck Cultural Centre, he said that the great forces of civil society have helped get us to this pivotal moment against climate change. (See Press Release SG/SM/17369.)
On Monday, 30 November, the Secretary-General greeted the more than 150 world leaders gathered at Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, alongside the French President. In his opening speech, he told them that they were here to write the script for a new future — a future of hope and promise, of increased prosperity, security and dignity for all. He urged for durability, dynamism, solidarity and credibility, stressing that our goal must be transformation, as history is calling. (See Press Release SG/SM/17370.)
He then participated in a Summit leaders’ lunch, hosted by France, where he also stressed the need for action and compromise against climate change. (See Press Release SG/SM/17371.)
He later participated in a high-level meeting on climate resilience, during which he recalled that three out of four humanitarian disasters are now climate-related, hitting the poor and the vulnerable the most. (See Press Release SG/SM/17372.)
He then spoke at the launch of the International Alliance for Solar Policy and Applications, hosted by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. He said that solar energy offers major potential for reducing poverty and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. (See Press Release SG/SM/17376.)
During the day, the Secretary-General also had two bilateral meetings: one with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, who is coordinating the African Group on climate change, and the other with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, current President of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, to review the status of negotiations and discuss remaining issues. He also had a meeting with Heads of State of small island developing States.
On Tuesday, 1 December, the Secretary-General held a joint meeting on the same subject with several African leaders, the Presidents of Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. He then spoke at a high-level meeting on Africa and climate change, chaired by the French President, where he stressed that sustainable energy offers huge economic opportunities and that many African countries were moving quickly to embrace a greener pathway. (See Press Release SG/SM/17378.)
The Secretary-General then left Paris for New York, where he arrived on Tuesday afternoon.