Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene January - February 2016 vol.11 no.1 | Page 25

2015, November 30 to December 11 - PARIS

at the global event taking place in Paris, on a day dubbed
“Action Day.”
“I am pleased to be joined by so many key partners to
scale climate action efforts and make them sustainable,” he
added.

UN Environment Programme Chief
Heralds Paris Agreement Sat, Dec 12,
2015
Statement by UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner

The Secretary-General, joined by groups such as the World
Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the Compact
of Mayors, and individuals including Michael Bloomberg
– the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities
and Climate Change – will co-sponsor a “Climate Action
2016” summit of leaders from government, business,
cities and localities, civil society and academia next 5 and 6
May in Washington, D.C.
According to a press release issued by the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the
organizer of the conference – this high-level gathering
will complement ongoing implementation efforts and
catalyze actionable, concrete deliverables in specific highvalue areas, including: cities; land use; resilience; energy;
transport; tools for decision makers; and finance.
“(The summit will) show that the things that were talked
here in Paris are actually happening on the ground,” Bob
Orr, a Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on climate
change, told the UN News Centre in an interview.
“The number and the depth of the coalitions that are
organized to deliver action on climate whether through
forestry, through industry, through cities, all the different
channels need to move forward as far and as fast as they
can,” he added. “So the Secretary-General is not only
ensuring we have this robust universal agreement, but that
we have the coalition in the field to deliver the goods.”
Mr. Orr noted that the meeting is taking place in the
United States’ capital as all the partners joining the
Secretary-General at the 2016 summit agreed that
Washington, D.C. is the “best stop” as it is home to
a number of important international institutions and
financing vehicles.
Meanwhile, the world’s attention is turned towards the
Paris-Le Bourget site north-east of the French capital,
where government representatives have been meeting
since Monday to reach a new universal climate agreement
to limit global temperature rise to below two degrees
Celsius.

Paris, 12 December 2015 - UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner heralded
a historic agreement in Paris today that saw 195 countries arrive at a universal
climate agreement.

“The Paris Agreement is probably the most important
international agreement in history. Nations of the world
have underlined that climate change is a threat to the
security and prosperity of all societies, and can only be
addressed through unity of purpose. A sustainable future
benefits all of humanity.
“This agreement is a testament to the ability of our
societies to set aside differences and confront collective
challenges for the global good. Importantly, the agreement
has provisions to protect the most vulnerable. Fairness
and equity are at the heart of this accord.
“Governments have sent a signal to the private sector that
the momentum toward sustainability cannot be stopped.
This is what the world needed to see.
“Above all, we have given future generations hope instead
of doom and gloom.
“Now that negotiations have concluded, our work
continues. We must focus on implementing the solutions
that drive an inclusive green economy, including renewable
energy, green finance initiatives, and sustainability in
transport, construction and other sectors.
“However, in the days after Paris, we can reflect on the
incredible progress we’ve made in only 23 short years.
This is progress through compromise that the entire world
can celebrate. Climate change creates enormous problems
for our planet. But by bringing the world together it has
driven cooperation and collective action on a scale few
would have imagined possible a year ago.
“I congratulate Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres,
Minister Fabius, all governments and civil society for their
hard work, determination, and commitment to a future
that puts the planet and its peoples first.”
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