Underlining the importance of an agreement on climate financing, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, urged government delegations to the 18th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that just ended in Doha, Qatar to deliver on the long-term climate finance deal.
He also urged them to ensure that the institutions set up in Cancun and Durban to support mitigation and adaptation by developing countries, including the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Technology Centre and Network, were fully equipped and made effective.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of COP18 on Tuesday, he asked all government parties to demonstrate, with no ambiguity, that negotiations on a global and legally binding instrument remained on track and show how they intended to act on the gap between mitigation pledges and what was required to achieve the two-degree target.
The target is meant to keep increase in global temperature below two degrees Celsius to combat climate change.
"Developed countries must give their clear indications that scaled-up climate financing will flow after 2012, and that it will be commensurate to the goal of mobilising $100bn a year by 2020 from public and private funding," he said.
Taking a cue from calls by the civil societies clamouring for a fair climate deal, Ki-Moon said the Kyoto Protocol remained the closest to a global, binding climate agreement.
"It is a foundation to build on. It has important institutions, including accounting and legal systems, and the framework that markets sorely need," he said.
Ki-Moon said the continuation of Kyoto Protocol on January 1, 2013 would show that governments remained committed to a more robust climate regime.
"This is critical to a meaningful climate agreement," he said, adding that the government delegations in Doha must ensure that the world stayed on track for an effective, fair, ambitious and universal climate agreement by 2015.
Ki-Moon said climate change was a threat to humanity, economies, security and the well-being of the future generation.
