Secretary-General Ban asks private sector to lead fight on
climate change in speech at U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Secretary-General
Also Meets with Religious Leaders
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The
private sector should take the lead on tackling the
challenges posed by climate change, from investing in
clean new technologies to encouraging countries and
industries to make the necessary adaptations to change,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told business and religious
leaders in Washington last week.
 Speaking
to the United States Chamber of Commerce's Institute for
21st Century Energy, Mr. Ban
said
the role played by US businesses would prove particularly
vital given their financial resources and historic
leadership in technological innovation.
"We can promote
economic growth, spur development and respond to climate
change - this is not an either/or proposition," he
said. "Your ability to determine investment flows
gives you great influence over the pace of innovation,
technological change and adaptation."
The Secretary-General
called on business leaders to develop "innovative
market mechanisms" as a means of combating climate
change, particularly the perils raised by greenhouse gas
emissions.
"I hope you will
approach the carbon market as a major economic opening,
one that has tripled in size to $30 billion in just
the past year alone. An expanded and improved carbon
market is an essential part of the solution." The
carbon market is a mechanism allowing companies to trade
emissions credits in order to ensure that mandated caps
are met.
While in Washington, Mr.
Ban also addressed
the National Association of Evangelicals' Global Leaders
Forum about the MDG's role in combating global
poverty, and specifically, the challenge presented by
climate change.
He
also spoke at the Peace Corps Director's Forum to discuss
innovative ways in which the private sector can assist in
combating climate change and reaching the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), which world leaders agreed at a
UN summit in 2000 to strive to achieve by 2015. (The
Secretary-General spoke to reporters immediately following
the forum. Click here
for a transcript.)
Speaking on
PBS's The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer last week about
climate change, Mr. Ban said, "This is a global
challenge which requires a global response, common and
concerted efforts. What is encouraging is that all the
countries now recognize the significance, urgency and
importance of taking common action."
© UN Photo/Mark Garten
Holding
History
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon (right) holds the original United
Nations Charter at the United States
National Archives Building in Washington D.C. during his
visit last week.
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| Secretary-General
Ban Hails Nobel Peace Prize for UN Scientists
2007
Nobel Prize Shared by UN Panel, Former Vice President
Gore
|
 United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday hailed the
awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC)
and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and urged
governments to build on the momentum they have generated
by adopting a new set of binding commitments to contain
greenhouse gas emissions.
Michelle
Montas, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said
that Mr. Ban "rejoices with the IPCC, and its
co-sponsors, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)."
"This
is an honor that goes to all the scientists and authors
who have contributed to the work of the IPCC, which alone
has resulted in enormous prestige for this organization
and the remarkable effectiveness of the message that it
contains," said Rajendra Pachauri, the
Chairman of the IPCC. (pictured above with Al Gore)
Mr.
Ban, who has made addressing climate change a key priority
of his administration, pointed out that the IPCC's
"lucid and well-documented findings" helped to
establish "beyond doubt that climate change is
happening, and that much of it is caused by human
activity."
This
led to "unprecedented momentum for action on climate
change around the world, and recognition of the UN as the
forum for reaching agreement on it," he said.
The
Secretary-General, who last month convened world leaders
on the issue in New York to jump-start diplomatic action
on climate change, called for industrialized and
developing countries alike to commit themselves to a real
breakthrough at the critical Conference of the Parties to
the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change in
Bali in December.
That
meeting will attempt to hammer out a successor
agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in
2012.
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Meet
the UN
Chairman,
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
|
 Rajendra
K. Pachauri
Last
week, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al
Gore. Mr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri was elected Chairman of
the IPCC in 2002.
To
acknowledge his immense contributions to the environmental
field, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President
of India in January 2001, India's highest civilian awards. He
was also honored as "Officier De La Légion D'Honneur"
by the Government of France in 2006.
Read
more... |
Celebrating Eid al-Fitr
UN
Photo of the Week
|
UNHCR helps Palestinians mark Eid
in Damascus
Palestinian
refugees gather for UNHCR-funded food in Damascus during
the Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Friday that marked the end
of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The refugee
agency has also provided food for Palestinian children and
their families in Baghdad. © UNHCR/J.Wreford
Read
more... |
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Should you need more information
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Take
a Stand Against Poverty Tomorrow!
STAND
UP with the
UN in Washington tomorrow at the Great Hall at the
George Washington University from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Contact: awood@unicwash.org
for more details.
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New
UN
Agency
Reports
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Here is a sample of UN agency reports recently
released:
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Monday,
October 15
Heads
of National drug Law Enforcement Agencies for the Latin
America & Caribbean meet for the 17th
session on the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Quito
Ecuador through October 19th.
Tuesday,
October 16
UN
commemorates World
Food Day.
UNESCO
General Conference opens in Paris through Nov. 3.
UN
General Assembly elects five of the 10 non-permanent
members of the Security Council. Non-permanent members
Congo Republic, Ghana, Peru, Qatar and Slovakia due to
leave the Security Council, Dec. 31
Wednesday,
October 17
Special
events in observance of the International
Day for the Eradication of Poverty: "Stand
Up, Speak Out against Poverty and for the Millennium
Development Goals."
The
special event is led by the Secretary-General and
organized by the Department of Public Information and
Millennium Campaign and "Commemoration of the 20th
anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication
of Poverty" (organized by the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs and the International Movement ATD
Fourth World)
In
Washington, UNIC participates in Stand Up at the Great
Hall at the George Washington University from 4:00 - 6:00
p.m. Contact: awood@unicwash.org
for more details.
UN
Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Eric Laroche will be
in Washington for meetings.
Friday,
October 19
Yvo
de Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) returns to
Washington for a World Bank / IMF seminar titled,
"Making Climate Action Work for Development".
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