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Special Envoys on Climate Change

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Appoints Special Envoys on Climate Change

On 1 May 2007 the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed three Special Envoys on Climate Change.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the three newly-appointed Special Envoys on Climate Change The Special Envoys are Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former chair of the World Commission of Environment and Development, Mr. Han Seung-soo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and former President of the UN General Assembly; and Mr. Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former President of Chile.

The Secretary-General has repeatedly stated that climate change is a major global challenge and he intends to take a leadership role in helping the international community address the problem.

The reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this year show clearly that the warming of the earth’s climate system is unequivocal and attributable to human activities. Climate change is already having significant impacts in certain regions — particularly in developing countries — and on most ecosystems. Economic assessments indicate that the cost of inaction will exceed the cost of taking early action, probably by several orders of magnitude. More concerted multilateral action is essential to addressing this pressing problem.

Many initiatives are being launched and commitments undertaken by Member States, groups of States, civil society and the private sector in this respect. Very commendable as they are, these actions can only complement and not substitute for the comprehensive international response that is needed. The United Nations, its Framework Convention on Climate Change and its other competent bodies offer the institutional framework within which a global solution to this global problem can be reached.

The Special Envoys have been soliciting the views of a representative group of Heads of State or Government, including from those countries who are key actors in the climate change negotiations. The work of the Envoys is helping the Secretary-General in his consultations with Governments and other key stakeholders on how he might facilitate progress in the multilateral climate change negotiations within the UN.

The Secretary-General will continue to work with these three highly respected international figures on a matter which is of highest importance to the future of the planet.

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