UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend the next round of UN climate change talks scheduled to be held in Poznan, Poland, next month, his press office said Tuesday.
At the start of the high-level portion of the two-week meeting, Ban will lay out his ideas for some key issues under negotiation, including the shared vision necessary for long-term world collaboration on climate change, Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
"He will continue to call on countries not to abandon their commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions because of the global financial crisis, but rather to make use of solutions that will address both, such as public investments in alternative, low-carbon energy systems," Montas said.
At the Poznan meeting which runs from Dec. 1-12, the secretary- general will also convey to participants the readiness of the UN system to support governments implement both existing and future agreements.
Given the little time before the crucial meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009, the secretary-general will urge leaders and ministers that are in attendance to make the most of the opportunity in Poznan, Montas said.
Following intensive discussions in Bali, Indonesia, last December, member states agreed on a road map for strengthening international action on climate change.
A long-term international agreement, expected to be reached in Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in late 2009 in Denmark, will lay down measures and obligations for the world after the first commitment period of Kyoto Protocol expires by the end of 2012.
(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2008)
