Ministerial Dialogues - COP 19

Ministerial Dialogues

A number of Ministerial Dialogues will be convened at COP19/CMP9 in Warsaw to advance issues through high-level engagement. Details of each event follow below. Additionally, the website will be updated as new information becomes available. Further information on each event will be made available in the Daily Programme and on CCTV.

Dialogues

High-level Events

High-level Panels

Dialogues

Wednesday 20 November, 11:00-13:00, 15:00-17:00, National Stadium, Plenary 2
High-level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance

A major outcome of the Conference of the Parties (COP), at its eighteenth session, was the agreement to consider, at its nineteenth session, the progress made in the mobilization of long-term finance. The aim of the in-session high-level ministerial dialogue (the Ministerial Dialogue) under the Conference of the Parties is to discuss efforts being undertaken by developed country Parties to scale up the mobilization of climate finance after 2012 . The Ministerial Dialogue will be informed by inputs from Parties, technical bodies and processes under the Convention, as well as the outcomes of the extended work programme on long-term finance.

The Ministerial Dialogue will convene at COP19 in Warsaw to provide vision and strategy on how to make further progress on the mobilization of long-term finance. The Ministerial Dialogue could also provide the momentum required to take forward strategies and approaches for mobilizing scaled-up climate finance to USD 100 billion per year by 2020. As such, the scope of the Ministerial Dialogue may cover a range of key issues identified in the attached programme.

Provisional programme

High-level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance, Co-chairs' summary
 

Thursday 21 November, 10:15-13:00, National Stadium, Plenary 2
High-level Ministerial Dialogue on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action

This high-level dialogue provided an opportunity for Ministers and other heads of delegations to interact with each other to provide political impetus and direction to the collective effort to raise ambition without delay, to build momentum and support for a meaningful outcome in Paris in 2015 and to accelerate efforts to build domestic support for enhancing national action on climate change as a part of an equitable, durable, ambitious and flexible agreement in 2015.

On invitation by the President of the Conference, H.E Mr. Marcin Korolec, Ministers and other heads of delegation engaged in a highly interactive discussion on three focus questions:

  • What kind of change should a successful and meaningful 2015 agreement catalyze in the world and what elements of this agreement will secure such a change?

  • How can the 2015 agreement be made to stand the test of time for all and remain durable while adaptable to changing circumstances?

  • How can ambitious pre-2020 actions provide for a transitional phase towards the post-2020 world?

The dialogue was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan and H.E. Mr. Tim Groser. A summary by the Co-Chairs of the High-Level Ministerial Dialogue is now available.

On-demand webcast of the event

Statements by participants communicated to the secretariat:

Statement by H.E. Ms. Leona Aglukkag, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, Canada

Statement by H.E. Ms. Wilma Mansveld, Minister of the Environment, the Netherlands

Statement by H.E. Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Minister of Environment, Peru
 

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High-level Events

Tuesday 19 November, 11:30 - 13:00
High-level round table on market approaches for enhanced climate action

The high-level round table sent a strong message that carbon pricing is an essential element for achieving ambitious mitigation targets. The point was made that carbon pricing is today taking place at national and sub-national levels, but that to elevate the benefits of these mechanisms to international levels, the UNFCCC needs to provide clear common standards so as to guarantee environmental integrity, and to safeguard against double counting of efforts.

It was emphasized that market approaches can only function in an environment of sufficient demand, which is created by ambitious mitigation targets and caps. Private sector representatives at the round table stated that the private sector strongly supports the use of market approaches, including caps and ambitious emission limits, provided that policy makers create a level playing field with clear rules for all to follow. It was also noted that market approaches are not suitable in all situations and that instruments for non-market based approaches, or for combinations of market and non-market based approaches, must be developed in parallel with the market based approaches.

Comments from the audience included suggestions that existing market mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol need to be used to their full potential before new mechanisms are established, and that market and non-market based approaches must contribute to sustainable development and ensure that human rights are respected. There were also calls for a positive signal from COP 19 to markets, which it was suggested could be in the form of the establishment of a platform for information sharing, so as to allow discussions to advance by the start of the next COP.

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Tuesday 19 November, 11:30 - 13:00
Vision 50/50 High-Level Event: Women for Action on Climate Change


This milestone event brought together influential women leaders who created a vision of a way forward to a sustainable future in which fully empowered women can be drivers of change. Over 400 people attended the event, and many more joined in from all over the world via webcast.

The event was hosted by Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, and the panel of high-level speakers was composed of Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice; Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland; Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme; Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women; and Bianca Jagger, Founder and Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation.

Elizabeth Njoroge, Executive Director at The Art of Music Foundation, entertained the audience with an inspirational performance of 'Vision 50/50', a song composed for the event. Riley McAuliffe from Global Voices added a perspective from the youth.

The panelists discussed a number of pertinent issues, with Ms. Figueres noting that it is important to follow up the "miracle" that was the decision reached at the 2012 climate summit in Doha: to make sure that women "sit at the tables" at which climate negotiations are being carried out. "How do we follow up a miracle?" she added, "By keeping our feet on the ground and our eyes on the stars. We need to put on our boots and keep moving down the path towards making us equal and empowered partners in climate protection. We have to keep on dreaming our dreams of a society in which these partnerships are a daily reality".
 

Wednesday 20 November, 15:00-18:00
COP Presidency Business Dialogue

The private sector has been instrumental in mobilizing action and promoting sustainable business solutions in response to climate change. Recognizing the growing role of the private sector and the need to further engage in public-private cooperation, the incoming COP 19/CMP 9 Presidency will hold a dialogue with policy-makers, business executives and civil society. The event will discuss the following key topics:

  • How innovation can stimulate climate and growth objectives. Can public-private co-operation help?

  • Optimizing climate policy toolbox - What governments expect from business and what business community needs from governments

The dialogue will be open to all conference participants, including the press. The event will be held in English.

More information

 
 

Thursday 21 November, 09:30-12:30
COP Presidency Cities and Sub-national Dialogue

Cities and the sub-national level have been increasingly active in taking action on climate change and many are in a position to show-case a number of innovative approaches and achievements. As a result of this, as well as due to the need to engage with all stakeholders in the international climate process, the incoming COP 19/CMP 9 Presidency will hold a dialogue with Mayors and other sub-national leaders. The event will discuss the following key topics:

  • Enhancing adaptation and resilience at the local level.

  • Enhancing global mitigation efforts through action at the local level.

The dialogue will be open to all conference participants, including the press. The event will be held in English.

More information
View live webcast - begins 9.30
 

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High-level Panels

Monday 18 November, 15:00 - 17:00
High-level panel event on the land sector and forests

The land sector has the potential to play a significant role in increasing motivation at national level to contribute towards achieving the global 2 degree C objective (as part of a package of tailored commitments which take into account countries' respective mitigation capacity). The sector has a lot of cost-efficient mitigation potential ranging from reducing deforestation and degradation, increasing carbon stocks through different measures and substituting fossil fuels and energy-intensive materials.

While discussions on land the land sector under the UNFCCC take place under different tracks and in a variety of fora, the objective of the event is to discuss the potential role of the land sector including forestry after 2020.

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