4 November 2015: During a briefing on preparations for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that he will actively engage Heads of State and Government in the remaining weeks before COP 21 takes place in Paris, France, saying “ultimate responsibility for success in Paris rests firmly in their hands.” He urged leaders to tell negotiators that “now is the time for compromise and consensus building.”

The informal meeting, held on 4 November 2015 in New York, US, was organized by Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th session of UNGA, and the Governments of Peru and France, as the outgoing and incoming Presidencies of the COP. In his remarks, Lykketoft underscored that, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), January-September 2015 was the hottest period on record. He called Paris “our last chance” for the “international community to take decisive action on climate change.”

Calling the spirit of the last UNFCCC negotiating session “constructive” and the resulting text “balanced,” Lykketoft stated that current intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) must be seen as a “floor” and if “leadership and enlightened self-interest lead to concrete agreements” then Paris can lead to securing the rights of future generations and be a major step toward delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ban indicated that he would continue to “encourage the path of compromise for the common good.” He added that the key issues that “remain in play” ahead of the Paris talks include equity, differentiation, finance and ambition. He noted that these issues are too challenging for negotiators alone to tackle, calling for clear guidance from ministers. Stressing that “climate change carries no passport and knows no national borders,” he addressed “four essential fronts” that Paris must deliver on, namely durability, flexibility, solidarity and credibility.

The briefing also focused on the outcome of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meeting, which took place in Lima, Peru, on 9-11 October 2015. Lykketoft reported that participants discussed how to mobilize the trillions of dollars needed, including from the private sector, to implement the SDGs, with many highlighting the need for climate finance and climate action. He noted that the World Bank/IMF Development Committee “stressed the need to ensure coordination with governments, the UN, the IMF, multilateral development banks (MDBs), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the private sector and civil society, and to deliver development solutions at country, regional and global levels.”

Lykketoft announced that he will hold a high-level thematic debate to “catalyze early progress on sustainable development, finance and climate commitments” on 11-12 April 2016. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Remarks] [UNGA President Remarks]