1 – 11 June Conference to Be Opened by French and Peruvian Ministers

Findings of a Global Citizens Debate on Climate Change Among Other Highlights

Bonn, 29 May 2015 - Work on the text of the Paris 2015 universal climate agreement will continue in Bonn as of Monday, June 1, at a 10-day meeting opened by the Environment Minister of Peru and the Foreign Minister of France, in their respective roles of President of COP20 and COP21.

The UN climate change conference in Bonn 1 – 11 June is the next milestone on the road to Paris, where the new agreement is to be reached at the end of the year.

The meeting will also continue progress on addressing the most effective ways to raise climate action before 2020, which is when the new agreement would come into effect.

The Bonn meeting comes in the wake of a major business and climate summit held in Paris and just ahead of the meeting of the G7 in Germany.

The Paris business summit underlined the way non state actors across the globe are already undertaking climate action, as well as rallying in support of a strong climate change agreement. 25 worldwide business networks representing over 6.5 million companies from more than 130 countries pledged to help to lead the global transition to a low-emission, climate resilient economy.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said:

With some 200 days to the UN climate convention conference in Paris, the growing momentum for change and for action is rapidly gaining ground across countries, companies, cities and citizens. News of yet another group of stakeholders committing to long term emission reduction targets or ambitious investments in renewable energies is emerging almost daily—building confidence and a sense of ‘can do’ among nations as we enter the final six months of 2015.

The Bonn session includes the meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP). This is the body tasked with reaching an agreement in Paris and looking at how best to raise ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions and adapt societies to climate change ahead of 2020.

The June session is also one of the two annual meetings of the two permanent bodies of the UNFCCC: the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).

They tackle detailed issues and decisions on the technical, scientific and implementation aspects of the Convention and provide many of the foundations on which the ADP is constructing the agreement.

Work on the Paris Negotiating Text and Raising Immediate Ambition

At the last session of the ADP in Geneva, in February, countries produced the official text, the basis of negotiations at the upcoming session in Bonn. The negotiating text covers the substantive content of the new agreement including mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, capacity-building and transparency of action and support.

Work on identifying ways to scale up climate ambition pre-2020 will take place in a series of Technical Expert Meetings. These meetings will take forward similar discussions from last year focusing this time on scaling up renewable energy supply and energy efficiency in urban areas.

The UNFCCC secretariat is also organizing a Climate Action Fair with partners including business and the private sector to showcase action already taking place on the ground.

The activities surrounding the Technical Expert Meetings and the Climate Action Fair are also in support of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, which is designed to demonstrate the wealth of climate action among cities, regions, companies and investors, including those under international cooperative initiatives.

Many of these are being spotlighted in the new Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) portal.

See here for inspiring examples of energy efficiency in urban areas and here for inspiring examples of renewable energy supply.

Further Key Work and Events in Bonn

Profiling national climate action plans, 2 June

The UNFCCC secretariat is now receiving countries’ climate action plans ahead of Paris. These Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs) are available on the UNFCCC website.

Assessing the Adequacy of the 2 degree C Goal, 2 June

Governments are committed to the long-term goal of ensuring that warming this century will be limited to below 2 degree C rise compared to the pre-industrial climate. The findings of a comprehensive dialogue on the adequacy of the goal and on progress towards it will be presented on 2 June. This review of the science and of the policy response will culminate at the Paris Conference.

Multilateral Assessment, 3 to 5 June

The Multilateral Assessment offers an opportunity for all countries to assess how developed countries are implementing actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The second round of assessments will take place at the Bonn conference.

Article 6 Dialogue, 2 and 3 June

Governments and other stakeholders will be sharing their experiences and ideas regarding Article 6 of the UNFCCC. Article 6 focuses on climate change education, training, public awareness, public access to information and international cooperation.

At a special interactive dialogue focusing on education, training and international cooperation , George Marshall, founder of the Climate Outreach Information Network and author of “Don’t Even Think About It: Why our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change” will give a keynote address.

Climate Action Fair, 3 to 6 June

The UNFCCC secretariat is organizing a Climate Action Fair to showcase action already taking place on the ground. The climate action fair is designed to illustrate the discussions in the Technical Expert Meetings on renewable energy supply and energy efficiency in urban areas. It is also part of the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, which is designed to demonstrate the wealth of climate action among cities, regions, companies and investors, including those under international cooperative initiatives. An overview of all activities is available here.

Youth Climate Film Competition , 5 June

The UNFCCC secretariat will launch a film competition, calling on young people (18 to 30) to present creative, inspirational stories about their various climate actions. The winner will travel to Paris in December to report on the UN climate change conference.

Inauguration of the World Conference Center Bonn, 7 June

At the invitation of the German government, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will inaugurate the World Conference Center Bonn. The event is on invitation only, as a photo-opportunity for local media.

Indigenous Peoples Event in Bonn, 7 June

At a cultural evening on 7 June, participants can immerse themselves in film, music and photography showing how indigenous peoples are sustainably managing forests and other critical natural systems. To register, send an email to info@ifnotusthenwho.me.

Showcasing climate action by the ICT sector, 9 June

On 9 June, a leading hi-tech organization will launch a report designed to demonstrate the massive emissions abatement potential of information and communications technology. The Global e-Sustainability Initiative will present its findings at a press conference together with UNFCCC head Christiana Figueres.

Presentation of Global Consultation on Climate Change, 10 June

On 6 June, the organization World Wide Views is holding a global consultation on climate change across some 100 countries. The findings will be jointly presented by the secretariat and World Wide Views at a press conference on 10 June.

For an overview of all side events, see here:

https://seors.unfccc.int/seors/reports/events_list.html?session_id=SB42

For an overview of exhibits, see here:

https://seors.unfccc.int/seors/reports/exhibits_list.html?session_id=SB42

Important Information for the Media

Media accreditation is issued to members of the press who represent a bona fide media organization, upon submission of a completed application. The online system is the only official channel to obtain registration for UNFCCC conferences. Please go to the online system to apply: https://onlinereg.unfccc.int/

More information on accreditation: http://unfccc.int/press/calender_of_events/accreditation/items/2987.php

Press conferences

A number of press conferences will be held during the sessions and will be announced via CCTV and the UNFCCC website. Press conferences are also webcast live and made available on-demand.

The opening UNFCCC press conference on 1 June will be attended by Christiana Figueres and Laurent Fabius - French Foreign Minister and incoming President of COP 21. The press conference is scheduled for 14:40.

Journalists who are following press conferences with the participation of UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres virtually can send questions on Twitter using the hashtag #FCCCpress, by mailing questions to press@unfccc.int or by sending an SMS to the number +491722586944.

For an overview of all press conferences at SB42, see:
http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/sb34/media/application/pdf/pc_sched_sb42.pdf

Virtual and Social media participation

Along with live webcast, social media community tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr enable virtual participation in the UN climate change conference 1 - 11 June. Information on which sessions will be webcast live will be made available each prior day, and can be seen on the main meetings page.

The main Twitter hashtag for the event is #SB42. Conference participants can take pictures of themselves next to a giant hashtag at the entrance of the conference venue. Other key hashtags used by the secretariat during the conference will be #ADP2015, #Article6 , #CapacityBuilding and #WWViews. For a complete overview of UNFCCC’s social media, see here.