New York, United States - The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ms. Christiana Figueres, on Monday urged countries to tackle the key issues of emission reduction targets, as well as funding and technology to assist developing nations tackle global warming. Figueres made the charge at the first UN negotiations for 2011, which began in Bangkok, Thailand. 'Here in Bangkok, governments have the early opportunity to push ahead to complete the concrete work they agreed in Cancún and to chart a way forward that will ensure renewed success at the next UN Climate Change Conference in Durban,” she said in a speech. The speech, which was made available to PANA in New York, quoted her as saying that, 'if governments move forward in the continued spirit of flexibility and compromise that inspired them in Mexico, then I am confident they can make significant new progress in 2011.'

Figueres also called on governments to rapidly advance work to complete the institutions which were agreed and deliver the funding and technology to help developing countries deal comprehensively with climate change.

According to her: 'It is important the agreed actions and institutions are delivered on time and in accordance with the deadlines agreed in Cancun, so that the broader global climate regime is up and running in 2012.'

The institutions include a Green Climate Fund to house the international management, deployment and accountability of long-term funds for developing country support, a technology mechanism to promote clean technologies and an adaptation framework to boost international cooperation to help developing countries protect themselves from climate change impacts.

She also said that, 'the other main task governments have before them relates to the emission reduction targets and actions which would allow the world to stay below the maximum temperature rise of two degrees Celsius, which was agreed in Cancun.'

She stressed that governments this year need to resolve fundamental issues over the future of the Kyoto Protocol.

'Governments need to figure out how to address this issue and how to take it forward in a collective and inclusive way and resolving the issue will create a firmer foundation for a greater collective ambition to cut emissions,' the executive secretary added.

Dubbed the Cancun Agreements, the decisions reached at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December last year include formalizing mitigation pledges and ensuring increased accountability for them, as well as taking concrete action to tackle deforestation, which account for nearly one-fifth of global carbon emissions.

Delegates at that meeting also agreed to ensure no gap between the first and second commitment periods of the Kyoto Protocol, an addition to the Convention that contains legally binding measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and whose first commitment period is due to expire in 2012.

Agreement was also reached on establishing a fund for long-term climate financing to support developing countries and bolstering technology cooperation and enhancing vulnerable populations’ ability to adapt to the changing climate.

PANA learnt that some 1,500 participants from 173 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organisations and research institutions, are attending the talks in the Thai capital, which are scheduled to conclude on Friday.

Pana 05/04/2011