Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing Holds Second Meeting
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13 July 2010: The High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, co-chaired by Prime Ministers Meles Zenawi (Ethiopia) and Jens Stoltenberg (Norway), held its second meeting on 12-13 July 2010, in New York, US.
The meeting was attended by the 21 principal members of the Advisory Group on Financing, as well as its two Co-Chairmen. In a press conference held at the conclusion of the meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled that the Advisory Group is seeking to identify the sources of longer-term financing for developing countries' efforts in mitigating and adapting to climate change promised by world leaders in Copenhagen in 2009. He also highlighted the agreed goal of scaling up support to reach 100 billion dollars per year by 2020, in addition to 30 billion dollars until 2012.
Ban said several Group members had met with representatives from member States, civil society and private sector, and added that he had also participated in the "very stimulating discussions." Ban stated that he expected the Group will provide him its final recommendations in October 2010, and that its report will feed into the discussions at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico. The UN Secretary-General underscored the importance of delivering on the climate finance pledges, noting it would strengthen trust between developing and developed countries, and build momentum in the global negotiations.
The UN Secretary-General outlined the challenges ahead for the Co-Chairmen, including: identify the sources of resources; package these resources in a politically viable, economically sound way; and bring this matter into the formal negotiation process. The UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing is scheduled to hold its third meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
13 July 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today warned of the risks posed by inaction on climate change, as the high-level group he set up earlier this year to mobilize financing to help developing countries combat global warming reported that they have made progress on the issue.
“The more we delay, the more we will pay – in lost opportunities, resources and lives,” Mr. Ban told reporters today.
The Copenhagen Accord reached at last December’s UN conference in the Danish capital aims to jump-start immediate action on climate change and guide negotiations on long-term action, scaling up support for developing nations for mitigation and adaptation to reach 100 billion dollars per year by 2020, in addition to 30 billion dollars until 2012.
The Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, established in February, is seeking to identify “economically sound” and “politically viable” sources of longer-term financing, Mr. Ban said today.
“Climate financing is an investment in a safer, cleaner, more prosperous future for us all,” he said, stressing that “delivering on these pledges is essential.”
The Secretary-General attended last evening’s session of the body’s two-day meeting in New York, which he characterized as “very stimulating.”
The Group is expected to submit its final report to Mr. Ban before the next conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico, later this year.
Its co-chairs, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, told journalists that discussions are moving forward.
Mr. Zenawi voiced confidence that the Group will be able to submit a “very robust” report to the Secretary-General by the end of October.
For his part, Mr. Stoltenberg, who replaced former United Kingdom leader Gordon Brown last month as co-chair, noted that there are numerous sources of resources for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
“So the problem is not the number of possible sources of financing,” he said, adding that the Group’s main task is translating these potential resources into reality.
The New York gathering, which wraps up today, is the body’s second meeting. It met in London in March, and is scheduled to hold its next meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Its 21 principals include philanthropist George Soros, French Minister of the Economy, Industry and Employment Christine Lagarde, and prominent British academic Nicholas Stern.
SG: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I am very pleased to be here with you together with the distinguished co-Chairmen of the High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing, who have been presiding over the second meeting in New York since yesterday and today. In just a few minutes, I will invite the Prime Ministers of Ethiopia and Norway to brief on what they have discussed among the 21 principal members of the Advisory Group on Financing.
As you may remember very well, in Copenhagen last year, the leaders of the world agreed and decided to deliver sizeable financial support to developing countries in their efforts in mitigating and adapting to climate change. And they also agreed on the goal of scaling up support to reach 100 billion dollars per year by 2020, in addition to 30 billion dollars until 2012.
The Advisory Group is seeking to identify the sources of this longer-term financing. These sources must be economically sound, and politically viable.
I have insisted that the Group's work be transparent, inclusive and ambitious. Yesterday, several Group members met with Member States, civil society and private sector representatives. They had a fruitful exchange, and yesterday evening I also participated myself, from 6 to 10pm. We had very intensive, very stimulating discussions among the principal members.
I expect that in October, this High-level Advisory Group will provide me with their final recommendations. Their report will feed into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process in time for the next UN climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico.
Climate financing is an investment in a safer, cleaner, more prosperous future for all of us.
Delivering on these pledges is essential. It will strengthen trust between developing and developed countries. And it will be very helpful politically in making this negotiation process go smoothly. It is crucial for building positive momentum in the global negotiations.
Climate change is not going away. The risks – and costs – of inaction grow each year. The more we delay, the more we will have to pay – in lost opportunities, resources and lives.
That is why this High-level Advisory Group is so important. And I really count on the leadership and political wisdom of all the principal members of this Advisory Group, and particularly I am very grateful to Prime Ministers Meles and Stoltenberg for their strong commitment and leadership in leading this very important process as a part of reaching our common goal to address climate change.
Thank you very much, and I would like to first invite His Excellency Meles [Zenawi] of Ethiopia, to be followed by His Excellency Prime Minister [Jens] Stoltenberg of Norway.
[questions for Secretary-General follow:]
Q: To the Secretary-General, Ms. [Christiana] Figueres, your new envoy [Executive Secretary of UNFCCC], had said that she doesn't expect a climate change agreement in her lifetime. This is something which she is quoted as saying. I want to know if you agree with that, and what you think of that comment?
SG: I speak on my behalf. I do not normally speak for a person whom I have nominated. I have not read exactly what she said, but I think that she might have been trying to explain that the process would be quite a difficult one. But just the reason that it is a difficult one does not give us any reason to be disappointed or deterred. We have a strong commitment to reach a globally binding agreement as soon as possible and I am sure that we can achieve that goal. As I said, the more we delay, the cost of inaction will be far, far greater than the cost of action today. That is what I have been repeatedly saying and emphasizing. Therefore this High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing is a very good start and a very good initiative to make the comprehensive process of negotiation move. This is a very important element, aspect of complementing, reinforcing the negotiation process. And you have our commitment. You see the commitment of these distinguished Prime Ministers and world leaders. Thank you.
Q: How would you describe the challenge for these Prime Ministers to reach their goal?
SG: The challenges will be great. As Prime Minister Stoltenberg has said, they have to first of all identify the sources of resource -- whether it comes from public funding or private funding. I suspect that to generate $100 billion, both private and public funds would be necessary.
As he said, there are many sources of resource - how to package, how to generate in a politically viable, economically sound way - will be their challenge. There is still some gap of trust between developed and developing countries, and this is a very good way, a shortcut in bridging the gap of trust between developing and developed countries. This is one of their challenges, and how to identify these resources, and make them in a bundle, a package, that is another challenge. And how to bring this matter into normal formal negotiation process, into the UNFCCC, that will be my challenge. When they present to me their final recommendation, I will have to bring this to UNFCCC for negotiation purposes. Thank you.
13 July 10 - UNCTAD Secretary-General invited to be a member of High-level Climate Group
At the invitation of Mr Ban Ki Moon, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-general of UNCTAD has accepted to be a member of the UN Secretary General`s High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF). The Group was established by Mr Ban Ki Moon on 12 February 2010 for the duration of 10 months.
The selection of Dr Supachai was made in part because of his experience with financial issues, in both the public and private sectors in Thailand, but also to represent the wider UN constituency within the AGF and to ensure that UN's role is clearly recognized in the final report.
The Advisory Group, is tasked with drafting practical proposals to boost both short- and long-term financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in developing countries.
The Group will study potential sources of revenue to match the promises made during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, and, in particular, that of mobilizing jointly US$ 100 billion a year by 2020, from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including through alternative sources of finance.
The first meeting of the AGF took place on 31st March 2010 in London and was co-chaired by His Excellency Mr. Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and His Excellency Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
On 6 June 2010 Secretary-General Ban announced that the Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, had accepted his invitation to become the co-chair of the Group as a replacement for. Gordon Brown.
The membership of the AGF includes President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana, senior ministers and officials from central banks and finance ministries, as well as experts on finance and development.
The group is expected to issue its recommendations before the next conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Mexico later this year.
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