Qatar to Host 18th Climate Change Conference

Durban, South Africa, December 10 (QNA) - The 71th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), currently in progress in South Africa, has approved the State of Qatar's official hosting of the UNFCCC 18th conference in 2012. The approval was announced by the Conference's Executive Secretary Christina Vigirs who added that the 8th session of the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, will also be held in Doha during the period from November 26 to December 7, 2012. Meanwhile South Korea will host the ministerial meeting ahead of the 18th Conference. At the Durban Conference the State of Qatar, in its capacity as one of the main energy exporters in the world, said it has been looking forward to the achievement of progress in the United Nations negotiations on climate change, and the support of developing countries effort to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. Addressing the Conference HE the Minister of Environment Abdullah bin Mubarak bin Aabboud Al-Ma'dhadi welcomed the convening of the 18th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Qatar next year, expressing Qatar’s willingness to provide all its resources for the success of the conference. He also expressed in this respect his thanks to the Secretariat of the Convention and the Asian Group for their confidence in the State of Qatar. HE the Minister of Environment told the Conference that the efforts of the State of Qatar are not limited to the field of adaptation to effect of climate change on the local environment, but rather exceed them to the activation of the solidarity and joint action efforts as worldwide responsibility in the face of the consequences of this phenomenon, such as fight against hunger and poverty eradication, which were confirmed by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani during the World Summit on Food Security, held in Rome in 2009. He pointed out that Qatar applies its vision in this this area through the establishment of regional and international partnerships so as to ensure the development of new mechanisms, able to cope with natural phenomena resulting from climate change. HE the Minister of Environment explained in his speech before the conference that alleviating the effects of climate change helps to enable millions of poor in the planet to have access to modern services in the fields of energy, transfer of technology and provide financial support mechanisms for developing countries to enable them move towards a development based on emissions reduction. He said adaptation to climate change should involve rendering people secured so that social and economic development could be achieved in face of challenges resulting from climate change including lack of food security, health and safety, noting that such significant elements could only be secured through capacity building of people and enhancement of the basic requirements necessary for their protection against disasters and adverse climate conditions and establishing the necessary systems to face their repercussions. The Kyodo protocol, which currently covers only 25 percent of global emissions, will expire in December 2012. Under the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed upon in 1997, entered into force in 2005 and compel most of the developed countries to set maximum limits for thermal emissions. (QNA)