The Secretary-General met with a range of key parties on the margins of the climate change negotiations in Warsaw during his participation at the Climate Change Conference this week.

He held discussions with Ministers from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), G-77 and China, the Africa Group, the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), the European Commissioner for Climate Action, H.E. Ms. Connie Hedegaard, Special Envoy for Climate Change of the United States, H.E. Mr. Todd Stern, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Mr. Seong Kyu Yoon, and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico, H.E. Mr. Juan Jose Guerra Abudas well as with Vice-President and Head of the Department of the Environment of Iran, H.E. Mr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Sultan Al-Jaber.

The Secretary-General also had a discussion with the President of COP 19, H.E. Mr. Marcin Korolec, President designate of COP 20 and Environment Minister of Peru, H.E. Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal Otálora, and representative of the President designate of COP 21 and Minister for Development, H.E. Mr. Pascal Canfin, as well as Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy of France, H.E. Mr. Philippe Martin.

In his meetings, the Secretary-General emphasized the need for tangible progress in Warsaw in order to achieve an ambitious global agreement on climate change at COP 21 in Paris in 2015.

The Secretary-General called on developed countries to take the lead in tackling climate change while emphasizing that all countries will have to do their part. He particularly stressed the need to make progress on climate finance and to capitalize the Green Climate Fund. He also urged all to take additional mitigation and adaptation measures, as they are more urgent than ever.

With all his interlocutors, the Secretary-General discussed the 2014 Climate Summit to be held in New York during the General Assembly and reiterated his invitation to leaders to bring bold announcements and action.