Marrakech climate conference starts high-level segment, with focus on Paris Agreement

The joint High-Level Segment of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol opens on Tuesday in Marrakech, Morocco.
A report from the centre said the segment would be preceded by the 1st Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
It said King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the host country, and the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, would address the high-level segment.
The report said representatives of each party, including those to the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, would have the opportunity to deliver a national statement.
The historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change entered into force on November 4, committing its signatories to limiting global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels, to combat climate change, and to unleash actions and investment toward a low-carbon, resilient and sustainable future.
It said under the agreement, the ongoing climate change conference represents a new departure for the international community, when CMA became the first meeting of the Paris Agreement’s governing body.
Salaheddine Mezouar, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister, said before the opening of High-Level Segment, took stock at half way point of the conference on November 12, saying that progress is being made on the Paris Agreement rule book.
He said more than 90 countries have moved from Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to formal Nationally Determined Contributions in record short time, which confirmed the world’s commitment to addressing climate change.
Mezouar said important announcements would be made in the following week regarding capacity building for developing countries.
He also underscored the importance of making headway during the conference on the question of climate finance, matching bankable projects with climate funds and mobilising private sector finance to leverage public money.