An informal thematic debate of the UN General Assembly has been held on the subject of “Climate change as a global challenge.” The discussion, which took place from 31 July-2 August 2007, at UN headquarters in New York, US, involved panel sessions of experts, as well as statements from dozens of government representatives.

The event focused on both the adaptation and mitigation aspects of climate change, as well as on the UN negotiations designed to reach an agreement for the post-2012 period, when the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period ends. A number of speakers said the high-level event on 24 September 2007 called by the UN Secretary-General should provide political momentum for an agreement at the Bali conference in December 2007 on a “roadmap” for completing post-2012 negotiations by 2009. The urgency of the climate change problem and the importance of equity, fairness and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in developing a future agreement were also underscored by many speakers. A number of member states also affirmed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the appropriate forum for negotiations.
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IISD Reporting Services Briefing Note