President of UN climate summit says Poland will ensure negotiations are held in a ‘democratic and transparent’ fashion
Poland, for the second time in a very short period, has the honour to host the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.
We will do our utmost to ensure that this year’s summit is successful both in terms of content and organisation.
We know how important Warsaw is on the climate policy map. We face a huge challenge. With our meeting, we continue a journey towards the first-ever agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to apply to nearly 200 countries – Parties to the Convention.
The success of the COP21 conference in Paris will be built largely on what is agreed in Warsaw.
The goal we set for ourselves in connection with the organisation of COP19 is to elaborate a schedule between Warsaw and Paris and discuss main elements of the new agreement.
This is the foundation we want to prepare and as we all know it is the foundations that form the base for a house. They might not be spectacular or even visible, but they determine the sustainability of a building.
The situation is similar in case of the climate agreement. The stronger the base we will all prepare in Warsaw but also next year in Lima at COP20, the stronger the global deal we all so determined to have.
My priority as the President of COP19 is to ensure that the process of negotiations in Warsaw proceeds in a democratic and transparent way making the Parties and other partners feel responsible for their contribution.
I want to make sure that the work on the development of the agreement addresses the interests of all, providing a balance between the developed and the developing countries.
I believe we can succeed only if we generate a trustworthy environment for all parties to feel safe and sure that their positions will be respected and properly reflected in the agreement.
Poland understands well how to implement climate mitigation measures in combination with sound growth policy. Poland has rich achievements in this area.
Throughout the past 20 years, we have managed to reduce our GHG emissions by more than 30% more than doubling our growth indicators at the same time reducing poverty and increasing considerably welfare of our society.
We reduced the amount of pollutants emitted into the air and water, developed new, environment-friendly jobs. These successes encourage us to continue on our path.
We also want to share the success and experience with other countries, which, as Poland before, embark on this challenging adventure towards a sustainable economy.
The success of the COP19 summit will not be accomplished without involvement of all parties that have influence, without you. That is why I count on your help and commitment.
The statement that the fate of our planet lies in our hands, in relation to the negotiations of the global climate agreement, certainly is not an empty truism.
Marcin Korolec is Poland’s Minister for the Environment and President of the 19th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.