General Assembly
General Assembly: Preparations for 21st Conference on United Nations Convention on Climate Change
With the “deadline” for concluding a universal climate agreement just four weeks away, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned that despite months of talks and critical pledges on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, key issues still remain in play – on equity and differentiation, on finance and ambition – requiring world leaders to give clear guidance to their negotiators to seek compromise and reach a fair, universal deal at the upcoming UN climate conference in Paris.
“Climate change carries no passport and knows no national borders. Countries must work toward the common interest, beyond narrow national interests,” declared Mr. Ban in a briefing to an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the ongoing preparations for the 21st Conference of States Parties to the UN Framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP21, to be held in the French capital from 30 November to 11 December.
Telling UN Member States that while he is optimistic that after months of talks and rising calls “from all sectors” that their Governments will conclude a meaningful agreement in Paris, some key issues have proven too challenging for negotiators to resolve on their own, including on equity and differentiation, finance and ambition.