8 November 2011: In a speech delivered to a “Friends on Climate Change” group breakfast, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined his expectations ahead of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC in Durban, South Africa, at the end of the year, stressing the need for Durban to “at least” complete what was agreed in Cancun.

At the breakfast, which was organized by the UK Mission on 8 November 2011, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, Ban called on governments to “find a way forward for the Kyoto Protocol” in order to make a broader comprehensive climate agreement possible. He also underscored the importance of scaling up climate finance, urging the launch at Durban of the Green Climate Fund. He underlined that the Fund must not be an “empty shell,” but that governments must provide the US$100 billion that was pledged.

He said Durban must be “a stepping stone towards a comprehensive, ambitious global climate agreement,” noting that experience in successful multilateral negotiations has shown the need for a group of countries that is “constructive, progressive and far-sighted.”

Ban further emphasized that 2012 will see the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and will mark the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. He noted that achieving a clean energy revolution and the Rio+20 Conference are “opportunities to define a clear path to the future we want.” [Secretary-General’s Speech] [UN Press Release]