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| De Duurzaamsite / Nieuws 2005 |
Worldwide celebrations to mark Kyoto Protocol's entry into force on 16 February
UNFCCC Press Advisory
Bonn, 10 February 2005 - Across the globe, a series of official events will be held on 16 February 2005 to celebrate the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol.
"The 16th of February 2005 marks the beginning of a new era in international efforts to reduce the risk of climate change," said Joke Waller-Hunter, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Convention.
"The Kyoto Protocol offers powerful new tools and incentives that governments, businesses and consumers can use to build a climate-friendly economy and promote sustainable development," she said.
A special feature of the commemoration will be a "Kyoto Relay of Messages", with the Minister of Environment of Japan, Ms. Yuriko Koike, serving as Master of Ceremonies. Starting in Kyoto at 10.00 p.m. (1.00 p.m. UTC/GMT), some ten dignitaries will exchange messages via video hook- up.
Messages will be delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan; the 2004 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ms. Wangari Maathai; President of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties and Minister of Health and Environment of Argentina, Mr. Ginés González García; the Minister and Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of China, Mr. Jiang Liu; the President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Barroso, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom, Ms. Margaret Beckett; the Minister of the Environment of Canada, Mr. Stéphane Dion; the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany, Mr. Jürgen Trittin; and the UN Ambassador from Micronesia, Mr. Masao Nakayama.
The Relay of Messages will be preceded at 7.30 p.m. (10.30 p.m. UTC/GMT) by a Commemorative Symposium. The Symposium and Relay of Messages is being held at the Kyoto International Conference Hall where the Protocol was originally adopted on 11 December 1997.
The symposium and the message relay will be webcast live in English and Japanese at http://www.kyoto-protocol.jp/. The webcast will also be made available after the event on-demand.
The day's celebrations will conclude with at 11.00 p.m. (2.00 p.m. UTC/GMT) with a press conference by Minister Koike and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Joke Waller-Hunter.
The entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol will also be marked in other cities around the world. In Brussels, for example, the occasion will be celebrated by members of the European Parliament and by the European Commission. In India, the Ministry of Environment and Forests will organize a workshop "Clear Skies India", while Morocco's Ministry for Planning, Water and Environment is organizing a nation-wide TV broadcast and seminar in Casablanca. The City of Bonn, the German NGO Forum and the UNFCCC secretariat will host an event in Bonn. For more information on these and other events, please consult the full listing on http://unfccc.int/meetings/kyoto_eif/items/3363.php
The Kyoto Protocol's entry into force means that from 16 February 2005:
- Thirty-five industrialized countries and the European Community are legally bound to reduce their combined emissions of six major greenhouse gases during the five-year period 2008-2012 to below 1990 levels.
- The international carbon trading market receives a strong market signal. The Protocol's "emissions trading" regime enables industrialized countries to buy and sell emissions credits amongst themselves; this market-based approach will improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of emissions cuts.
- The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) gets a major boost. The CDM encourages investments in developing-country projects that promote sustainable development while limiting emissions.
- The Protocol's Adaptation Fund, established in 2001, can become operational to assist developing countries to cope with the negative effects of climate change.
Note to journalists: For additional information, please visit http://unfccc.int or contact Ms. Carrie Assheuer at tel: (49-228) 815-1005 or e-mail: press@unfccc.int.
In Kyoto, please contact Takashi Ohmura, Deputy Director, Policy and Coordination Division, Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment at tel: (81-3) 5521-8243, fax: (81-3) 3504-1634, or e-mail: kyoto216@env.go.jp. See also http://www.env.go.jp/en/
Press release
Ministry of the Environment/Government of Japan
9 February 2005*Contact point: Takashi OHMURA
Deputy Director, Policy and Coordination Division, Global Environment Bureau Ministry of the Environment, JAPAN
TEL: +81-3-5521-8243, FAX: +81-3-3504-1634, E-mail:kyoto216@env.go.jp Web: http://www.env.go.jp/en/Commemorative Event to Mark the Entry into Force of the Kyoto Protocol
The Ministry of the Environment hereby releases the program of the Commemorative Event to Mark the Entry into Force of the Kyoto Protocol. The event will be held to commemorate the occasion at the Kyoto International Conference Hall on Wednesday 16 February 2005, hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan in conjunction with the Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City.
The Ministry of the Environment of Japan, in conjunction with the governments of Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City, will hold an event on Wednesday 16 February to commemorate the entry into force of Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted at the Third Conference of the Parties to the Convention (UNFCCC COP 3) on this day. The event will be held with the Minister for the Environment Yuriko Koike in attendance at the Kyoto International Conference Hall, where COP 3 itself took place, under the title of "Commemorative Event to Mark the Entry into Force of the Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto Protocol Enters into Force! – Messages from around the World".
Detailed program of this event is provided below:
A real-time video broadcast of the entire event as well as linkages with other events taking place outside Japan will be delivered to the worldwide community by live streaming video in the webpage (http://www.kyoto-protocol.jp ).
On demand video streaming will also be available on the same address after the event.
Commemorative Event to Mark the Entry into Force of the Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto Protocol Enters into Force! – Messages from around the World
Time & Date: 18:30 – approx. 22:45 on Wednesday February 16, 2005 (the Hall will open at 18:00)
Venue: Kyoto International Conference Hall (Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan)
Organizers: The Ministry of the Environment of Japan, Kyoto Prefecture and Kyoto City
Attendance fee: Free
Languages: Japanese/English (Japanese-English simultaneous translation available) Program:
18:30 - Reception (Sakura Banquet Room)
19:30 - Commemorative Symposium (Main Hall)1) Greetings
- Mr. Hiroshi Takano, Senior Vice-Minister of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan
- Mr. Keiji Yamada, Governor of Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
- Mr. Yorikane Masumoto, Mayor of Kyoto City, Japan
- H.E. Mr. Ginés González García, Minister of Health and Environment, Argentina
2) Keynote Speeches
- Mr. Hiroshi Ohki, President of UNFCCC/COP 3
- Ms. Joke Waller-Hunter, Executive Secretary for the UNFCCC
- H.E. Ms. Wangari Maathai, Deputy Environment Minister of Kenya and 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate
3) Panel Discussion: Kyoto Protocol’s Entering into Force and its Significance
Panellists:
- Mr. Thomas Becker, Head of International Department, Ministry of the Environment, Kingdom of Denmark
- Ms. Sylvia Mcgill, Director, Meteorological Services, National Meteorological Services, Jamaica
- H.E. Mr. Masao Nakayama, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Federated States of Micronesia
- H.E. Mr. Beat Nobs, Ambassador, Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape, Swiss Confederation
- H.E. Mr. Raúl A. Estrada Oyuela, Special Representative for Environmental Negotiations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Argentina
- A representative from an international NGO, Climate Action Network
- Mr. Atsushi Horiba, President and CEO, Horiba Ltd, Japan
- Ms. Mie Asaoka, President, Kiko Network, Japan
- H.E. Mr. Masaki Konishi, Ambassador for Global Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
Moderator
- Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, Professor, Faculty of Environmental Information, Keio University, Japan
22:00 - Part 2: Relay of Messages from around the World(Main Hall)
Messages about the entering into force of the Kyoto Protocol sent from the different parts of the world will be introduced in the form of a message relay with Minister of the Environment Yuriko Koike.Messages will be provided by:
H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Ginés González García, Minister of Health and Environment, Argentina
H.E. Mr. Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment, Canada
H.E. Mr. Jiang Liu, Minister and Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission, China
H.E. Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of European Commission
H.E. Mr. Jürgen Trittin, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
H.E. Ms. Wangari Maathai, Deputy Environment Minister of Kenya
H.E. Mr. Masao Nakayama, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Federated States of Micronesia
H.E. Ms. Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(Alphabetical order by country except for UN)*Other guests may be added to this list.
Approx. 22:30 Event ends
Approx. 22:45 Event ends
- Bureau Members of UNFCCC/COP10 will attend the event.
- The program is subject to change.
- A real-time video broadcast of the entire event as well as linkages with other events taking place outside Japan will be delivered to the worldwide community by live streaming video in the webpage (http://www.kyoto-protocol.jp).
On demand video streaming will also be available on the same address after the event.