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UN chief hopes for early German ratification of Paris accord on climate change

Xinhua, September 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday met with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and voiced his hope that Germany can ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change at an early date.

The secretary-general "commended Germany for its leadership in the fight against climate change and looked forward to Germany's ratification of the Paris Agreement," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, which entered its third day here Thursday.

"The secretary-general expressed his gratitude towards Germany for its exemplary support to the activities of the United Nations on many fronts," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general and the German foreign minister shared their deep concern with the situation in Syria, he added.

The UN chief also called for more world efforts to enable the Paris Agreement to enter into force by the end of this year.

In early September, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States, ratified the Paris Agreement.

Adopted in Paris by the 195 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference held in the French capital in December, the Paris Agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low-carbon future, and to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

Specifically, it seeks to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The accord, which was signed in New York on April 22 by 175 countries at the largest, single-day signing ceremony in history, will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.

On Wednesday, 31 additional countries deposited their instruments of ratification for the agreement, bringing the total to 60 countries that together represent more than 47.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Following the Wednesday meeting, formal approval from countries representing 7.5 percent in global emissions is still needed. Endit