New York is stop-over for Cancún
The 17 most important economies will meet up in New York on 20 and 21 September to prepare the Cancún (Mexico) Climate Summit. Flemish minister Joke Schauvliege, as President of the Environment Council, will be representing the European Union.
"A lot will depend on the attitude of the 17 main economies and what they find feasible for the Cancún Climate Summit in November", says Joke Schauvliege. In Cancún –one year after the Copenhagen Climate Summit- the world will have to pick up where it left off with regard to climate negotiations. "We will try to conclude partial agreements on -among others- deforestation, adaptation and the impact of greenhouse gases. The continuation of the Kyoto Protocol also needs to be solved."
The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) is an initiative of American president Obama to support the worldwide climate negotiations. The MEF unites the 17 most important economies from both developed and developing countries. Belgium, because of its Presidency of the European Union, and Denmark, because of its Presidency of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Climate Change will also be attending.
As the chairperson of the European Environment Council, minister Schauvliege will also have several personal meetings with climate ministers in New York to prepare the summit in Cancún. She will also attend a ministerial consultation on Cancún, organised by host country Mexico, and represent Belgium at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on biodiversity on Wednesday 22 September.
