The Secretary-General met today in Antalya, Turkey, with H. E. Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil.

They discussed extensively the ongoing negotiations in preparation for the Climate Change Conference in Paris, COP21, reflecting on the many aspects of the process, including issues related to climate financing, differentiation and capacity-building.

The Secretary-General hoped that Brazil would exert its political influence and creative ideas with Latin American countries and the Caribbean, stressing that their voices would be crucial to the fight against climate change. He emphasized that an agreement in Paris was not a ceiling but a floor from which the international community would need to go up. The two leaders also agreed that climate finance requires both public and private funds.

Lastly, the Secretary-General commended Brazil’s contribution to the stabilization in Haiti, through the UN Mission in the country (MINUSTAH), welcoming the recent round of elections in the country.