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 12 October 2009
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More progress is needed in climate change negotiations: UN official

12/10/2009

More progress is needed in climate change negotiations before the global conference on the issue in Copenhagen in December, according to a senior United Nations official.

Janos Pasztor

Janos Pasztor

Briefing the press on Monday, Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team, said the summit on climate change in September signaled a desire to achieve an agreement in Copenhagen.

He also pointed out that negotiators made progress over the last ten days in Bangkok, Thailand, on what some call the architecture of the agreement that is needed to make a global climate deal work on the ground

Mr. Pasztor said developing countries clearly demonstrated they are moving forward in a spirit of pragmatic cooperation.

"However, there is still a disconnect between what national leaders say in summit meetings and what their negotiators offer on the negotiating floor. Little progress was made on the core political issues such as mid-term emission reduction targets for industrialized countries. Similarly, clarity is still lacking on the issue of finance that developing countries need in order to undertake additional actions to limit their emission growth and adapt to the inevitable attacks of climate change."

Janos Pasztor says the Secretary-General encourages all parties to negotiate in a spirit of flexibility and enlightened self-interest focusing on the benefits that a fair, ambitious and comprehensive global deal will provide for their own people, children, future generations and the planet.

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'28")

Sound bites

Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team

"However, there is still a disconnect between what national leaders say in summit meetings and what their negotiators offer on the negotiating floor. Little progress was made on the core political issues such as mid-term emission reduction targets for industrialized countries. Similarly, clarity is still lacking on the issue of finance that developing countries need in order to undertake additional actions to limit their emission growth and adapt to the inevitable attacks of climate change."
Duration: 27 secs

Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team

"At the 22nd September Summit on Climate Change, 101 heads of state and government and 163 countries participated in the September Summit and signaled their desire to achieve an agreed outcome at Copenhagen. Since then the Secretary-General has continued to work to keep all leaders engaged in the process as it is these leaders who would ultimately determine the nature and the scope of such an agreement."
Duration: 25 secs

Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team

"This trip coincided with the latest round of climate negotiations held under the auspices of the UNFCCC which ended last Friday in Bangkok. It was clear that the negotiators were re-energized following the climate change summit in New York last month and eager to make headway on some of the elements of a climate deal. Negotiators made much needed progress over the last ten days in Bangkok on what some call the architecture of the agreement that is needed to make a global climate deal work on the ground. There was progress on adaptation, technology, capacity building and reducing emissions from deforestation. Developing countries clearly demonstrated they are moving forward in a spirit of pragmatic cooperation."
Duration: 43 secs

Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team

"There are now only five more negotiations left, the days left until Copenhagen. Countries must maintain the positive momentum of the summit and translate that into concrete proposals that can advance progress towards an agreement. The Secretary-General encourages all parties to negotiate in a spirit of flexibility and enlightened self-interest, focusing on the benefits that a fair, ambitious and comprehensive global deal will provide for their own people, for their children and future generations and for the planet."
Duration: 33 secs

Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General's Climate Change Support Team

"The disconnect is related to time. It's a very short time between the summit and the actual negotiations. It's not like the President or Prime Minister was here, the summit makes a quick call to the negotiators has changed everything. It's not like that. There has to be some consultation on that. So one if timing. And we expect that will still take place, that kind of consultation and discussion. But the other one is really more fundamental. And these are very important issues where the leaders themselves will need to consider their response and their decisions. And I think this is what we saw happening in the summit. They considered these issues. They dealt with these issues but that was not a negotiating session. And at some point the leaders will have to be engaged in coming up with the solution to these issues themselves because they are very difficult and they have impacts on the economy as a whole."
Duration: 58 secs