Mexico's Foreign Ministry has facilitated meetings involving at least 300 different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the Climate Village in resort city Cancun, Luis Hermosillo Sosa, the Village coordinator said on Friday.

"In one event we facilitated communication for 300 NGOs," Hermosillo said in an interview with Xinhua at his office in the Village. "We have had more than 80 events for NGOs."

Most of the NGOs attending the 16th edition of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP16) had stayed at Jacinto Canek Gymnasium during the conference. ' "We have had between 4,000 and 26,000 visitors a day," Hermosillo said. "We have had students at all levels and aged from three and up. We have had families mostly after 5 p.m. when night falls in Cancun," he added.

Hermosillo said that organizers had also supported NGOs who had preferred to be in the gymnasium, coordinating with local authorities so that the gym is adequately supplied with sound equipment, sanitation and power.

Meanwhile, between 3,000 and 16,000 people have attended the concerts presented at the Village, he added.

The total cost for the Cancun climate change conference was estimated at 841 million pesos (US$68 million), he said.

The highlight of the cultural events at the Village was the presentation by filmmaker Yann Artus Bertrand.

Bertrand has been an activist all his life," Hermosillo said. "His film shows how humanity is causing devastation on the planet, including floods, hurricanes, droughts and the melting of glaciers," he said.

The Village also exhibits artworks by photographer and filmmaker Willy Sosa, which showcases the visual culture and traditions. Viewers can also enjoy the Neta del Planeta exhibition on environmentalism.

"Our mission is to provide a space for NGOs from all over the world to allow them to follow up on the conferences and to discuss proposed solutions about climate change," he said.

"We also have another goal: we are working to communicate to Mexican society what organizations are doing and what everyone can do to help this problem, and our planet is in trouble," he said.

The Village itself is relying on two NGOs, Ecoce and Pro-natura, to handle rubbish and prevent it from polluting the environment.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2010)