17 September 2009: Key questions and themes to guide the roundtable discussions of Heads of State and Government during the upcoming Climate Change Summit, to be held on 22 September 2009, have been identified in the UN Secretary-General’s Background Paper.

The Summit’s aim is to “mobilize the political will and vision to reach an ambitious agreed outcome based on science at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen,” with a view to achieving “a fair, effective and comprehensive global climate change deal” leading to a “fundamental transformation of the global economy” that will strengthen climate-resilient development and assist the most vulnerable to adapt.
The background document identifies five core political issues, and related questions, for a deal in Copenhagen:
– action to assist the poorest and more vulnerable to adapt (how to intensify global cooperation and raise the level of commitment to adaptation, and ensure immediate assistance to the most vulnerable?);
– ambitious mid-term mitigation targets by developed countries (what is an appropriate international mechanism and cooperation arrangement to elevate the current level of ambition?);
– supported actions by developing countries to slow the growth of emissions (what are the scope and scale of these actions, the level of feasible and required international support, and financial and technical assistance for REDD in the interim?);
– predictable, scaled-up financial and technological support for adaptation and mitigation by developing countries (how to share the burden of long-term funding and support, and ensure technology cooperation?); and
– governance structure that addresses the needs of developing countries (what are the principles of a financial architecture that ensures efficient and effective disbursement, safeguards accountability and ensures private sector engagement? What is an effective institutional architecture to ensure equitable governance and safeguards for resource allocation in line with developing countries’ national priorities?).
[Background document]