Opening Press Briefing Barcelona Climate Change Talks 2009

Description: Speaking to the press on the opening day of the Barcelona Climate Change Talks, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said the two-year Bali mandate to deliver a comprehensive, fair and effective answer to the climate threat must now be fulfilled. He underlined that over 100 world leaders committed to success in Copenhagen at the New York Climate Change Summit in September. While the Barcelona meeting is unlikely to resolve the big issues on finance and emission reduction targets, it is critical in terms of putting the essential architecture in place to make a Copenhagen agreed outcome function. Highlighting the significant advances in the negotiations on adaptation, technology transfer, capacity-building and reducing emissions from deforestation, he said Barcelona can shape these advances into language that can make them essential components of a Copenhagen agreed outcome. Mr. de Boer said that some details of implementation will be left till after Copenhagen, but Copenhagen can and must capture a result to which nations can be held accountable.