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on Climate Change
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Background Information > Fact Sheets
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Initiatives on Climate Change
Climate change, and how we address it, will define us, our era and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
A Priority Issue
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has consistently stated that climate change is a major global challenge and he intends to take a leadership role in supporting efforts by the international community to address the problem by bringing world leaders together and by ensuring that all parts of the UN system contribute to the solution. As a global forum with universal participation, the United Nations is uniquely positioned to forge a common approach to combating climate change.
Citing the recent reports of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which emphasize that the science on climate change is very clear-- that the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and that this is happening because of human activities—the Secretary-General has called for concerted international action to address the issue.
“We cannot go on this way for long. We cannot continue with ‘business as usual.’ We need to take joint action on a global scale to address climate change. There are many policy and technological options available to address the impending crisis, but we need the political will to seize them.”
Developed countries, he has said, can to do much more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage energy efficiency. They can also support clean development in fast-growing economies and adaptation measures in countries facing the greatest hardships from climate change. And developing countries, he said, need to be more engaged in addressing climate change, while safeguarding socio-economic growth and poverty eradication.
Special Envoys on Climate Change
On 1 May, the Secretary-General appointed three Special Envoys to assist him with consultations with Governments on how he might facilitate progress in the multilateral climate change negotiations within the UN framework, as well as their views on a possible high-level event later this year. The Special Envoys are: Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development, Han Seung-soo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and former President of the 56th session of the UN General Assembly; and Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former President of Chile.
The Special Envoys have sought out the views of a representative group of Heads of State or Government, including from those countries who are key actors in the climate change negotiations. It was clear that for many of the leaders, climate change was a high priority issue–personally, politically and at government-level. Widespread support was expressed for both the initiative of the Secretary-General and the convening of a high-level event.
A High-Level Event to Advance Negotiations on Climate Change
The Secretary-General will convene an informal High-Level Event on climate change in New York on the margins of the General Assembly on 24 September. The aim of the event is to promote discussion among world leaders on how to address climate change and galvanize support for advancing negotiations by launching a strong process in Bali that will lead to agreement on a comprehensive framework in 2009.
The Secretary-General hopes that world leaders will send a powerful political signal to the negotiations in Bali that “business as usual” will not do and that they are ready to work jointly with others towards a comprehensive multilateral framework for action on climate change for the period after 2012, when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.
The event, which will be informal and will seek to reaffirm the importance of addressing climate change in a global forum, will provide an opportunity to involve all countries in the multilateral process. The high-level event would not seek to engage Governments in negotiations on the outcomes in Bali nor seek a negotiated outcome.
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
While the Secretary-General has maintained that the issue of climate change demands an urgent response, he has firmly maintained that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but one that has serious social and economic implications as well. Because these issues require the involvement of many sectors, such as finance, energy, transport, agriculture and health, he has urged that climate change be firmly positioned in the broader sustainable development agenda.
The Secretary-General has directed that action on climate change should be integrated into development efforts and scientific research led by various parts of the UN system.
This includes work to address investment flows and finance schemes relevant to the development of an effective and appropriate international response to climate change, increased support for adaptation, and for involving industry leaders to encourage support from the private sector.
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