UNITED NATIONS: Without addressing the challenge of climate change, development cannot be sustainable, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told member states on Monday as he opened a high-level event at UN headquarters in New York.

“Let us always remember that climate change and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin, with two mutually reinforcing agendas,” the UN chief explained to delegations gathered for the event.

Just months before the next conference of the Par­ties (COP) to the UN Fram­ework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Monday’s event has been convened in support of the process that will ultimately result in an agreement intended to succeed the landmark Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Among the participants, Academy Award-winning actor Robert Redford and 15-year-old indigenous climate activist Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez, are expected to join a call for action to energise multilateral cooperation on climate change.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2015

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