COP22 to mark turning point in fighting climate change: official

The United Nations conference on climate change later this year in Morocco will mark a "turning point" in fighting climate change, president of the COP22 Salaheddine Mezouar said Thursday in the Moroccan city of Skhirate.

Speaking at the opening of the Informal consultations in preparation for the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mezouar added that the conference will significantly contribute to "meeting the urgent needs of a united humanity overwhelmed by climate change."

COP22 is an opportunity to launch major initiatives and projects with particular attention to the priority areas of the most vulnerable countries, particularly in Africa, small island states and the Pacific, he pointed out.

He said that the large number of participants in Thursday's meeting is "a proof of the undeniable wave of mobilization which marks the beginning of long and necessary way for the implementation of the Paris Agreements."

The participants in the informal consultations, to be held for two days behind closed doors, will discuss topics that reflect the concerns of hundreds of thousands of citizens in the world and the needs of all mankind for years to come, said COP22 president, stressing that sustainable development is an "absolute" need and a "fundamental condition to our collective well-being."

"Fair and sustainable" solutions are possible thanks to the mobilization of public and private actors, large and small businesses, civil society and collaborative networks, said Mezouar.

These informal consultations are bringing together over 140 delegates from 50 countries, to discuss the various priority issues for Parties to make the COP22 a successful event and an impactful step in the implementation of the Paris Agreements. Endit