United Nations Radio

With just over a month before the UN's climate change conference in Copenhagen, world leaders have gathered in Barcelona, Spain for the final negotiating session.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change says the five-day meeting in Barcelona needs to make clear progress and establish a solid foundation for success at Copenhagen. He says the clock has almost ticked down to zero.

The Barcelona meeting is a follow up to last month's meeting in Bangkok, Thailand which led to increased agreement among nations and the streamlining of international climate change actions. The Executive Secretary said the good work in Bangkok needs to continue in Barcelona.

"I do not expect the meeting here in Barcelona to resolve the big political issues on finance and emission reduction targets.  But Barcelona is absolutely critical in terms of putting the essential architecture in place that will make a Copenhagen agreed outcome function."

Heads of state and government meeting in New York earlier this year agreed that the Copenhagen conference scheduled to begin December 7th must provide ambitious emission reduction targets for industrialized countries, as well as national mitigation plans by developing countries. Mr. de Boer says Copenhagen must open the door to the common good and close the door to a common disaster.

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio
duration: 1'04"