Global efforts to combat climate change shifting into action, Annan says

Global efforts to combat climate change are shifting towards realizing existing international goals, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to a key gathering in New Delhi on the leading treaty designed to address the weather phenomenon.

In his message to the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mr. Annan said the gathering “marks a transition in which the focus is increasingly on implementation of what has been achieved.”

This effort encompasses many factors, including clear commitments by governments, mechanisms to ensure accountability, and the constructive use of partnerships between the public and private sectors, he added.

The Secretary-General called for concerted efforts to reach the goals of the Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, which contains binding targets on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The quest for sustainable development, he said, is essential “if we are to make a long overdue investment in the survival and security of future generations.”

The Secretary-General’s message was delivered by Nitin Desai, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.