Secretary-General's remarks to media on receipt of final report of High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing

I am pleased to introduce the distinguished co-chairs of my High Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing –H.E. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, who has joined us by video, and H.E. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway.

I thank both Prime Ministers for their leadership on one of the most important issues in global climate change discussions.

Earlier this year, I asked the Group to identify new, innovative and additional sources of financing to meet the goal set by industrialized countries at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December of $100 billion dollars a year by 2020.

Those funds aim to assist developing countries to bolster climate resilience, curb greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen sustainable development.

This morning the co-chairs gave me their final report.

It contains financing options that are both financially feasible and politically viable.

The High-Level Advisory Group has concluded that it is challenging, but possible, to meet the 2020 goal.

It will need sustained political will, appropriate public policy signals for the markets, and financial ingenuity.

There is no silver bullet –no “one size fits all” solution for raising these funds.

We will need a variety of revenue sources from both the public and private sectors.

And all countries will need to demonstrate a strong commitment to domestic mitigation efforts.

These efforts, along with the introduction of new public instruments based on carbon pricing, will be among the keys to mobilizing the required financing.

The greater the available revenues, the greater the potential for markets to deliver on low-carbon, sustainable growth.

The Advisory Group has given us a path. It is now up to Governments to consider the options and to act.

This is not about charity.

It is about doing the right thing for those who are suffering most from a crisis that they did least to cause.

And it is about doing the wise thing for all of us.

Funds that support mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries are an investment in a safer, cleaner, healthier future for us all.

The Advisory Group's final report comes three weeks before the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico.

The Group's findings are being shared with all Parties, and will feed into the United Nations Framework Convention process.

This report can help governments in their discussions on climate finance, which is one of the most difficult areas in the negotiations. I hope it will help them move forward.

I will also use the report in other relevant intergovernmental processes.

I thank again most sincerely Prime Ministers Meles and Stoltenberg for their efforts and leadership. I also extend my appreciation to all the members of the High-Level Advisory Group for their leadership and contribution. I look forward to working with them in the run-up to Cancún and beyond.

I now invite the co-chairs to provide more details, and to answer your questions.

Thank you.

Q: These seem to be ambitious goals –the $100 billion and these ideas that you've come up with for carbon pricing and such. Why these particular ideas, and how will you implement them? Does this report get presented in Cancun and countries agree on it? How do you generate the political will for this, is what I'm asking?

SG: I'll answer this one. First, you asked very specific questions, and then I will give the floor to the Prime Ministers. First of all, today I will send this report to all the heads of State and Governments of Member States of the United Nations. And today I expect that both the Prime Ministers, in their capacity as co-chairs of this High-level Advisory Group, as well as a State party to the UNFCCC, will submit this to the UNFCCC for their consideration in an intergovernmental process. As both Prime Ministers and I have emphasized, this requires enormous, extraordinary political will. Mobilizing $100 billion per year requires a strong political will and active participation, not only of governments, but business communities and all others. We need to think about all other innovative sources of financing. So this will be left now to the Member States to consider and agree. But all of us are committed to spare no efforts –political efforts - to encourage and urge the Member States to agree first and foremost on financial support. Now, you should know that there is a certain gap of trust between developed and developing countries. That is why negotiations have not been progressing well. The best way, the shortest way, to bridge this gap is by providing financial support, so that the developing countries can adapt and mitigate and strengthen their capacity to adapt to this climate change phenomenon.

Q: This is an advisory report and you pointed out the challenges about lack of political will. What will you do to avoid this report being just another pile of papers ending at the desks of bureaucrats?

SG: You should know that since February until the end of October, not only two distinguished Prime Ministers, but the President of Guyana and many distinguished Finance Ministers from most of the important countries have participated. Only with a strong commitment to addressing this climate change and help developing countries, so this will be, I hope, seriously considered by the Member States. And I'm sure that the Member States will pay the highest attention on this matter. Of course as the Prime Minister said, this was done outside the intergovernmental process, but it was my initiative, just to save time and to accelerate this intergovernmental process. This will be now fed into the intergovernmental process. I'm sure this will be used very valuably.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you discussed climate change when you were in China this week, but you did not discuss human rights with the President there, and many have asked the question of why that is. Can you tell us why that was, and just who did you discuss human rights with when you were there?

SG: The second part of the question raised by the AFP reporter -- I think this is not the proper occasion for me to answer, but with the understanding of both Prime Ministers, I would like to briefly answer your question. As you know very well, the three pillars of the United Nations Charter are peace and security, development and human rights. Thus, human rights are an essential part of the work of the United Nations - and that's our promise to the world. We shine the light of human rights everywhere. That's what I have been doing as the Secretary-General of the United Nations all around the world for the last four years.

I spoke about human rights through my visit to Asia, including China. In my dialogue with the leaders of Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar on the margins of the UN-ASEAN summit meeting, I have consistently emphasized the importance of their respect for basic human rights.

In China, the records are clear. At Nanjing University, I stressed that countries cooperate best when they do so based on shared values, including international agreements on human rights. In Shanghai, I again emphasized the importance of academic freedom. And in Beijing, at the Central Party School, I addressed the group of future leaders of China about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and emphasized the need to respect the right to freedom of expression and importantly to protect human rights defenders.

And the public record is clear, as I said. I discussed human rights issues in my private talks with Chinese leaders. We all know why diplomatic discourse has sometimes, necessarily, to be conducted in confidence.

United Nations engagement and partnership with China is broad and multi-faceted. Needless to say, I shall remain in further touch with Chinese leaders on these and other issues. I shall only say that, as China pursues the path of political reform and building a harmonious society based on the rule of law, I hope the Chinese Government will further expand the space for civil society and take further steps that reflect and uphold its commitment to international human rights standards. Thank you very much.