27 September 2015: A group of world leaders expressed their support for a durable and meaningful Paris climate change agreement that provides a long-term vision of a poverty-free world, sends clear signals of a economic transformation and is underpinned by concrete actions. The messages came out of an informal high-level working lunch on climate change hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, US, on 27 September, held in parallel with the UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda.

The UN Secretary-General co-hosted the working lunch with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and French President François Hollande who are also, respectively, Presidents of the 20th and 21st sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). According to the UN, the event was “attended by a small but representative group of world leaders.” A note by the co-chairs describes its objective as reaching “a shared understanding of the transformational, long[-]term implications of a new climate change agreement,” stressing the meeting is not intended to substitute negotiations under the UNFCCC.

Briefing the press, Ban described the meeting as “an informal gathering to inject greater political energy” in which the leaders voiced “their resolve to finalize a durable, meaningful agreement in Paris that applies to all countries.”

In their conclusions, the co-chairs identify three overarching political messages emerging from the meeting: the need for a Paris agreement to articulate a comprehensive long-term vision of a world free of poverty; the need for a Paris agreement to send out a clear signal to citizens and the private sector that the transformation of the global economy is inevitable, beneficial and already under way; and that immediate, concrete and cooperative actions are required to turn this vision into reality.

On the comprehensive long-term vision, the note, inter alia, stresses the need for: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a Paris agreement to be mutually supportive; and for the Paris agreement to reflect the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) in light of different national circumstances.

On concrete actions and as a first priority, the note highlights the need to provide confidence that developed countries will meet their commitment of mobilizing US$100 billion per year by 2020 to support mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.

On the way forward, the note states, inter alia, that the participants will communicate the key messages and shared political understanding emerging from the meeting with other leaders. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Speech] [UN and Climate Change Story] [Chairs’ Conclusions of the Informal Working Lunch on Climate Change]