Poznań , 7 February 2008

The United Nations Climate Change Conference

POZNAŃ WILL HOST DELEGATIONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

The year 2008 was declared in Poznań the Year of Climate and Environment. It will end with the 14 th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Poznań , the leader in CO 2 emission reduction and a town significantly contributing to the promotion of climate change problems, was elected host of the 14 th UN Climate Change Conference. Poznań, with its congress and exhibition centre at the grounds of the Poznań International Fair, is best suited to the organization of such a large and prestigious event. Over 10 thousand visitors from all over the world are expected to come to Poznań, among them representatives of governments, NGOs, independent observers and the media.

Agreement signed

An agreement on the organization of the Climate Change Conference in Poznań was signed on 17 January 2008 in Bonn by Prof. Maciej Nowicki, Minister of the Environment, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Poland, and Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, on behalf of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat.

In his address after the signing ceremony Minister Maciej Nowicki emphasized that the conference in Poznań will be the key step in the achievement of agreement on international legal regulations, which define obligations of individual countries after 2012 that will be adopted in Copenhagen in 2009.

“ Poznań will be instrumental to the achievement of a joint agreement on technical and financial instruments necessary to take effective actions to prevent global warming”, said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary.

Preparations under way

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Poznań from 1 to 12 December 2008. Sessions and meetings will be held on the grounds of the Poznań International Fair. Preparations for this huge event are under way – working delegations from countries, which will be participating in the conference, have already started to come to Poznań to see the conference facilities. The first two delegations came from France and Japan in the beginning of February.