8 November 2008: The high-level conference on “Climate
Change: Technology Development and Technology Transfer,” which took place in
Beijing, China, from 7-8 November 2008, was co-hosted by the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, and supported by the UN Foundation.
The event
brought together over 600 participants including 30 ministerial officials and
four UN agency heads, and aimed to promote international technology development
and transfer, as well as the negotiation process of the “Bali Roadmap.” In
particular, the Conference focused on: the current status and development
potential of energy and other climate-related technologies; the current status
and trends in technology transfer; barriers to technology transfer; and policy
options and possible new mechanisms to enhance international cooperation and
technology transfer to developing countries under the UNFCCC. In a message
delivered by Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social
Affairs, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said actions by the international
community in the months ahead will determine whether “we will truly rise to the
challenge” of climate change or “bequeath to succeeding generations a problem
growing ever more dire.”
Noting that the food, oil, and financial crises
threaten to undermine progress in tackling global warming, he noted the
benefits of clean technologies, emphasizing that increased funding for clean
technology is required, given the expected surge in global energy demand by
over 50% by 2030. Ban highlighted the advantages of investment in clean
technology investments, including environmental protection and economic
development. At the end of the Conference, participants adopted the Beijing
Declaration, calling for strengthened international cooperation and improved
technology transfer to tackle climate change.
Another outcome of the Conference
is a Chair’s Summary for input to the 14th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC
to be held in Poznan, Poland, in December 2008. [Conference
Aide-Mémoire] [Beijing High
Level Conference on Climate Change] [UN Secretary-General’s Statement]