The United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7-18 December, 2009. The convention includes the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 5th Meeting of the Parties (COP/MOP 5) to the Kyoto Protocol. According to the Bali roadmap, a framework for climate change mitigation beyond 2012 is to be agreed there.
The UN Worldwide Campaign on Climate Change—Seal the Deal!
We at WFUNA have given our full support to the UN Secretary-General’s call for countries to “seal the deal” on Climate Change at Copenhagen 2009 (COP15). The "Seal the Deal!"campaign is a major initiative led by the UN that encourages governments to commit to a climate agreement that is fair, balanced and effective when they come together at this year’s conference. Please visit the website "Seal the Deal!" and sign the petition for a fair climate agreement at the COP15.
'Climate Change and the UN System' The WFUNA Climate Change Project is finally online!
While there are now many civil society groups focused on one or other aspect of climate change, WFUNA is committed to informing its members about what is being done at the UN. A supplementary goal is to build a global network of people who can help sustain the momentum to make better use of the UN in multilateral climate change processes, at the global, regional and national levels.
Since the release in February 2007 of the fourth assessment report of theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , which clearly demonstrated the link between human activity and global warming, the climate change debate has moved to the top of the political agenda. In mid April, the Security Council considered the issue of climate change for the first time. While the UK Foreign Minister asserted that the threat from climate change has grown and its impact goes far beyond the environment "to the very heart of the security agenda", developing country leaders protested that the Security Council was not the proper forum for this issue, which they considered belonged in the General Assembly.
On 2 May 2007, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment ofthree Special Envoys on Climate Change: Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway; Han Seung-soo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea; and Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former President of Chile. The envoys will be working with governments at the highest level to explore the level of interest in the UN convening a climate change summit in the context of the General Assembly this year.
Indicative of the difficulty of finding consensus on climate change, this year's session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) from 1-12 May 2007 failed to reach agreement on the adoption of a proposed resolution. Instead it ended with a "Chairman's Summary" - to read the document, click here >>
The theme of last year's World Environment Day on 5 June 2007 - Melting Ice: A Hot Topic? - highlighted the impact that climate change is having in all regions, not just at the poles. In his statement on this occasion, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the world needs "new thinking and a new inclusiveness" to tackle the perils of climate change, and called for urgent global action that takes into account the needs of the world's least affluent countries.
On 24 September 2007, a high-level meeting on climate change took place. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has declared climate change as a central focus of the UN. Officials from 150 countries and 71 Heads of State and Government were present.
The Human Development Report 2007/2008 was launched on November 27. It is dedicated to climate change, and the title is Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world. It exposes the threats that global warming represents for development.
The UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, 3-14 December 2007, adopted the Bali Roadmap. The ministers and high-level officials of 187 countries reached an agreement that launched the negotiations to adopt a new climate regime that will enter into force in 2013, after the expiration of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol. They have set an agenda for the negotiations up to 2009, when the agreement should be presented in Copenhagen. Some of the key issues that will be discussed in the following two years will be: action for adaptation to climate change, ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, technology transfer and financing of adaptation and mitigation measures.
WFUNA Information Packet on Climate Change All the information you need to start learning more about climate change background, UN mechanisms and outcomes, and more!
CLIMATE CHANGE EVENTS
High level Summit on Climate Change. 22 September, 2009. UN Headquarters, New York.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made cooperation on climate change one of his top priorities, and is committed to working with countries to help them reach an agreement. In line with this, the Secretary-General is hosting a special session with heads of states to focus on the urgent need to combat climate change. This forum will be held September 22, 2009 – the day before the opening of the UN General Assembly.
Global Climate Week 21 – 25 September 2009
Global Climate Week is planned to coincide with the United Nations Secretary-General's High Level Summit on Climate Change on 22 September 2009. Cities, organizations, groups and individuals are invited to mobilize their networks and join the effort. Enter your Global Climate Week pledge at www.sealthedeal2009.org. Afterwards, share your activities with the world by uploading a report, including video and photos.
On 24 September 2007, a 