China's negotiator is global climate summit Co-Chair

The Global Climate Action Summit, taking place in September in San Francisco, has announced inclusion of China's Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs Xie Zhenhua as its fifth Co-Chair. Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd Chairman Anand Mahindra is among the panel of summit Co-Chairs.

An announcement in this regard was made in San Francisco on Tuesday.

Xie joined an existing four-member panel of summit Co-Chairs that comprise Governor of California Edmund G. Brown Jr., UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael R. Bloomberg and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa.

The Global Climate Action Summit, taking place from September 12-14, will bring leaders and people together from around the world to "take ambition to the next level".

It will be a moment to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens with respect to climate action, a statement by the summit organisers said.

Minister Xie has for many years represented the Chinese government with distinction at both the national and international level, including as China's chief negotiator for the landmark 2015 Climate Change Agreement (COP21).

"All the Parties are devoting efforts to the completion of the negotiation on the Paris Agreement Work Programme at Katowice (COP24), in order to lay the firm foundation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Nationally Determined Contributions," Xie said.

"During this important period, the summit will help to mobilize the national, sub-national, business, and society actors to demonstrate their actions and determinations, which will not only advance the global climate governance process, but also push the global green and low-carbon transformations," Xie added.

The summit also serves as a launchpad for faster and deeper worldwide commitments and accelerated action from countries, supported by all sectors of society, that can put the globe on track to prevent dangerous climate change and realize the historic Paris Agreement.

Further, the summit will pave the way for leaders, including heads of state and ministers, to announce more ambitious national climate plans at the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week in New York, COP24 in Poland and the UN Secretary-General's Climate Leaders' Summit in September 2019.

--IANS

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