21 July 2008:
The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) continued the General Segment of
its Substantive Session with a panel discussion on “An inclusive and coherent approach to climate
change: The role of the UN system,” which was chaired by Jean-Marc Hoscheit (Luxembourg), Vice-President of
the Council. Noting the urgency of addressing the threat of climate change and
the need for system-wide action, he explained that the ECOSOC’s discussion was
centered on how the UN is coordinating its response to
the post-Bali road map of negotiations.

Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General
for Policy Planning, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, emphasized the
interrelations between the climate, food and development challenges. He called
on countries to replace the current “business as usual” pace by an
“extraordinarily rapid” one in the climate change negotiations, and urged them
to have a constructive meeting in Poznan, Poland, in
December 2008. He highlighted the need for: increasing the number of world
leaders involved in climate negotiations; improving UN implementing capacity;
and changing individual behaviors.
Thomas
Stelzer, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency
Affairs, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reported on the UN system’s response to climate change, indicating that it was
the defining issue in sustainable development and highlighting the costs of
inaction. He listed the five focus areas for UN system activity response
identified by the UN System Chief Executives Board’s (CEB) High-Level Committee
on Programmes (HLCP), namely: adaptation; technology transfer;
capacity-building; reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation;
and mitigation finance. He referred to the online database on UN climate work
and underscored the importance of harnessing science and technology.
In the
ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter
alia: the necessary involvement of Heads of State in climate negotiations;
the need to change the “business as usual” mentality; UN
resources for mitigation, adaptation and technology transfer; States’ role in
strengthening UN coherence; UN capacity building and awareness raising efforts;
the importance of a coherent approach to climate change; and the need for the
climate change response to address energy and peacekeeping. Stelzer then introduced the CEB’s Annual Overview Report for 2008 (document
E/2008/58), which provides an overview of the major developments in
inter-agency cooperation within the latest framework of the CEB, noting its focus
on climate change. He highlighted the HLCP’s role in supporting the
contribution of the UN system at the Climate Change Conference in Bali in
December 2007 and indicated that the Board was currently facilitating a
coordinated approach in preparation for the Poznan Conference in December 2008.
[ECOSOC press release, 21 July 2008]