Bonn Climate Change Talks, March 24 - April 2009
The work that had started at the Local Government Climate Sessions in Poznan was intensively continued at the Climate Change Talks in Bonn, mainly through seeking direct discussions with Parties.
Whereas in Poznan, the main objective had been to present the Local Government Climate Roadmap and the draft text for a COP decision on the role of Cities, Local Authorities and Climate Change, the advocacy process during the Bonn Climate Change Talks focussed on identifying nations which are open for discussions within further negotiations.
LG Side Event at the Bonn Climate Change Talks, 2 April 2009
- From left to right: Gino van Begin (ICLEI, Deputy Secretary General), Yunus Arikan (ICLEI, Manager Cities Climate Center), Frédéric Vallier (Nantes Métropole, Head of European Department), Jorgen Lund Madsen (City of Copenhagen, Director Technical and Environmental Administration)
On 2 April 2009, local government had the opportunity to discuss the future role of local governments in the next climate agreement with national government representatives during the LG side event. The event provided a platform of exchange and dialogue of local governments with national government representatives – such as Mr Brice Lalonde, France and Mr Andres Flores, Mexico - as well as with international experts, such as Mr Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Policy Advisor, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Mr Jorgen Lund Madsen, Director of Technical and Environmental Administration of the City of Copenhagen.
The side event was centred around the LG Climate Roadmap and the draft text for a COP decision on Cities, Local Authorities and Climate Change with the objective of seeking a strong partnership with national governments on the next global agreement on climate change. Furthermore, various speakers presented an overview of local government climate change initiatives and international experts – such as Frédéric Vallier, Head of European Department of Nantes Métropole - contributed their expertise.
The event was organised by ICLEI as the UNFCCC Constituency Focal Point for Local Governments and Municipal Authorities (LGMA). It was one of the few to benefit from UNFCCC Secretariat webcasting. To watch the UNFCCC webcast, please click here. To download the PowerPoint presentations of the speakers, please click here.