By Mamadou Edrisa Njie
Information gathered by Mansa Banko Online has it that, the Republic of Chile will no longer host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25/CMP 15/CMA 2), which was scheduled to be held in Parque Bicentenario Cerrillos Santiago, Republic of Chile from 2 -13 December, 2019.
A letter signed on the 30th October, 2019 by Patricia Espinosa, indicated that Her Excellency Ms. Carolina Schmidt, Minister of Environment of Chile, has informed her that the Government of the Republic of Chile has made the difficult decision not to host the COP in Chile, taking into consideration the “difficult circumstances” in the country.
“This information has been made public by the President of Chile to the press and media.
“I am in discussions on next steps and Parties will be informed once additional information is available,” Espinosa wrote.
Information for participants on COP25 is outdated on UNFCC’s website due to the recent changes in the organizing of COP 25. More information will be available soon, according UNFCC website.
Information gathered by Mansa Banko Online, on the reasons for the cancellation of COP25, revealed that Chile’s decision to cancel the hosting of the anticipated climate summit, was occasioned by the ongoing mass protests in the country. The Chilean government still faces major unrest and therefore cancels COP25 as it aims to restore order and address domestic popular concerns.
The latest reports indicated that, ongoing clashes between protesters and security forces in Chile have forced President Sebastián Piñera’s government into a U-turn over hosting world leaders for two major international summits- the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and COP25 climate talks – that were scheduled for November and December, respectively.
About the UNFCC Secretariat
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat is part of the United Nations. Created in 1945 and guided by its founding Charter, the UN takes action on the most critical issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development and human rights, among others.
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) was established in 1992 when countries adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since 1995, the secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany.
With the subsequent adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement in 2015, Parties to these three agreements have progressively reaffirmed the secretariat’s role as the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.
Who works at the secretariat?
Around 450 staff are employed at UN Climate Change. Secretariat staff come from over 100 countries and represent a blend of diverse cultures, gender and professional backgrounds.
At the head of the secretariat is the Executive Secretary, a position currently held by Patricia Espinosa. Focusing in its early years largely on facilitating the intergovernmental climate change negotiations, the secretariat today supports a complex architecture of bodies that serve to advance the implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
The secretariat provides technical expertise and assists in the analysis and review of climate change information reported by Parties and in the implementation of the Kyoto mechanisms. It also maintains the registry for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) established under the Paris Agreement, a key aspect of implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The secretariat organizes and supports between two and four negotiating sessions each year. The largest and most important is the Conference of the Parties, held annually and hosted in different locations around the globe. It is the largest annual United Nations conference, attended on average by around 25,000 participants. In addition to these major conferences, the secretariat organizes annual sessions of the so-called subsidiary bodies as well as a large number of meetings and workshops throughout the year.
In recent years, the secretariat also supports the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, agreed by governments to signal that successful climate action requires strong support from a wide range of actors, including regions, cities, business, investors and all parts of civil society.
At UN Climate Change Conferences, a large number of events demonstrate how non-Party stakeholders are working with governments and the UN system to implement the Paris Agreement.
Throughout the year, the secretariat strives to keep all stakeholders informed of on the negotiating process and climate action through a variety of communications products, including social media.
The UNFCCC social media accounts, including on Twitter and Facebook have a combined following of around 1.3 million people.
