“The Secretary-General believes that direct head of State and government involvement is essential for governments to reach agreement on the core issues at the heart of a global climate change deal,” his spokesperson said in a statement.

The conference, set to begin on 7 December, aims to reach accord on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 pact – part of a larger UN climate change treaty – which has strong, legally binding measures committing 37 industrialized States to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 per cent against 1990 levels over the period from 2008 to 2012.

It will culminate in a summit-level gathering on 17 and 18 December, which Mr. Ban encourages all world leaders to attend.

“The Secretary-General believes it is essential to maintain political momentum at the highest level and from all sectors of society, and is optimistic than an ambitious, fair and effective climate deal can be reached at Copenhagen,” the statement read.

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