UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for "the necessary political impetus to seal a deal" in the UN Conference on Climate Change, scheduled for December in Copenhagen, a deal that "will enable us to pursue climate action on all fronts."
Addressing the 17th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, Ban said that in order to pave the way for reaching such a deal, he has invited all Heads of States and Government of UN Member States and Observers to a high-level event on climate change on Sept. 22 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
"This will be the only international climate meeting before Copenhagen that will bring together all world leaders -- from the major emitters to the most vulnerable countries," he said. "Most of all, it will focus on solutions and providing the necessary political impetus to seal a deal in Copenhagen."
The United Nations and the secretary-general himself have attached great importance to the global fight against climate change, and Ban has claimed this year as the year of climate change.
The United Nations has proposed a linked package of solutions to deal with the climate crisis, the food crisis and the energy crisis in the global fight against the global financial crisis and economic recession.
"We look to the December climate negotiations in Copenhagen to seal a deal that will enable us to pursue climate action on all fronts," he said. "A deal that covers adaptation, mitigation and the deployment of clean technologies. A deal that will reverse deforestation. A deal that will build capacity, and mobilize financial resources for developing countries."
"Sustainable agriculture can contribute to climate change mitigation," he said. "On the other hand, if left unchecked, climate change will affect agricultural production and exacerbate drought and decertification."
"This will have a devastating impact on the poor," he said. "It will particularly affect women, who make up significant portion of agricultural producers in many highly vulnerable countries."
On the food security, which he said "is not yet behind us," he said. "High food prices mean 100 million people in low-income countries are at risk of joining the ranks of the malnourished."
"In consequence, the World Food Program will need to increase its budget from US$500 million to US$750 million to maintain its operation," the secretary-general added.
(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2009)
