Ban Ki-moon Voices Cautious Optimism on Copenhagen
New York, Oct 28 2009 1:10PM
Although much work remains to be done ahead of December’s climate change conference in Copenhagen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he is optimistic that world leaders will reach an ambitious agreement in the Danish capital.
Provided
that four key benchmarks are decided upon, the gathering
will be a success, Mr. Ban (http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1333)
told reporters today during his monthly press
conference.
Those four criteria, he said, are:
emissions reductions targets by both developed and
developing nations; adaptation measures; the provision of
financing and technology for poorer nations; and the
creation of an equitable global governance
structure.
“We are not lowering expectations”
ahead of the Copenhagen meeting, the Secretary-General
stressed, noting that he has been working closely with
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is holding
discussions with governments on the substance and form of an
agreement that could emerge from the summit.
“There
is a long way to go still,” he said, with only five weeks
to go before that meeting.
Post-Copenhagen, Mr. Ban
emphasized to reporters that countries must endeavour to
ensure that any agreements reached during the technical
negotiations in Denmark can be built upon to become legally
binding.
Negotiators are set to meet next week in
Barcelona, Spain, for the last round of negotiations before
the two-week Copenhagen gathering kicks off on 7
December.
In an (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/opinion/26iht-edban.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=ban%20ki-moon&st=cse)
opinion article published earlier this week in the New
York Times, Mr. Ban wrote that despite the gridlock at
the last round of climate negotiations held in Bangkok,
Thailand, in early October, “the elements of a deal are on
the table.”
All that is needed to put them in place
is political will, he said. “We need to step back from
narrow national interest and engage in frank and
constructive discussion in a spirit of global common
cause.”
The leadership of the United States in this
endeavour, the Secretary-General said, is vital, noting that
he is encouraged by last week’s bipartisan initiative in
the US Senate.
“We cannot afford another period
where the United States stands on the sidelines,” he
emphasized, adding that an “indecisive or insufficiently
engaged” US will result in unnecessary and unaffordable
delays in tackling global
warming.
ENDS