UN Climate Action Summit: Great expectations, low execution

UN Climate Action summit aims to advance climate action and to step up the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Ahead of the summit, the European Commission adopted a blueprint. This is reaffirming the EU’s commitment to lead the fight against climate change. The EU is on its way to achieve its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. It also provides over 40% of the world’s public climate finance.

Great expectations – Low execution

On the other hand, year after year, the UN climate negotiations end in disappointment. United Nations fail to produce a solution to global climate change. The world has changed since the early 1990s, when post-Cold War optimism provided fertile ground for establishing several environmental regimes. The new geopolitical and domestic realities provide the backdrop for the progress that can be achieved through multilateral climate negotiations.

However, the UN climate regime plays a crucial role by catalysing climate action, building a common vision between different states, enhancing transparency, and promoting the diffusion of novel policy ideas and instruments. The role of the UNFCCC could be further strengthened by allowing it to act as an orchestrator which coordinates the array of initiatives.

UN Climate Action Summit

Vital Signs of the Planet

Like Dr Anna Hogg, scientists from around the world are calling for urgent action to save our planet. The EU will throw its weight behind the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on 23 September 2019.

UN General Assembly

All 193 Member States of the Organization are represented in the General Assembly to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues. The UNAG is dedicated on the main UN issues, like development, peace and security, international law, etc.

Every year in September, all the Members meet in this unique forum at Headquarters in New York for the General Assembly session.

Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the priorities of the upcoming High-Level week at the General Assembly. Notably, he urges world leaders to focus their political actions on climate action.

Sitting arrangements in the General Assembly Hall change for each session.

Young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is attending the schoolchildren-led march in New York. Millions of people of all ages have already joined children across the world in demonstrations, from the south Pacific region, to the west coast of the United States.

Like the millions who all over the world are demonstrating today in favour of peace with nature, your presence here today is very important for our work.
António Guterres

UN chief António Guterres told students attending the annual ceremony marking the International Day of Peace, observed on 21 September, that they are making a difference.

Young people want and deserve a role in what should be a participatory process. The school strikes for climate action were born out of their desire to make global leaders aware of and act on their concerns!

EU priorities

The European Union and its member states will focus on three mutually reinforcing priorities at the 74th UN General Assembly:

• conflict prevention, peace and security
• a common positive agenda, including the protection of human rights
• engagement on global challenges like migration, digitalisation and counter-terrorism

The EU will continue to work with and support the UN, as part of its efforts to promote, develop and reform the rules-based international order. In this context, the EU will continue to be at the forefront of a reformed and more effective UN.

The UN Climate Action Summit aims to accelerate action to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The main target is to net zero emissions by 2050.

What should EU do for climate?
What do you expect from governments?