16 Nov 2016

United Nations secretary general, Mr Ban Kim-Moon, says no country is immune from impacts of climate change.

Mr Ban, who has one and half months before his term as UN secretary general elapses, said this during a press conference he addressed prior to the high level segment meeting of the 22^nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Morocco on November 15.

He said the brevity and speed with which the Paris Agreement came into force validated need for cohesion on climate related issues.

“Countries realise that it is for their own self-interest that they take action now,” he said, adding that at the moment 109 countries had joined and that the numbers continue to swell by the day.

The UN secretary general therefore urged all countries yet to ratify the agreement to do so soon.

Mr Ban was happy at the rate of the buy-in by all stakeholders on matters of climate change saying it was the direction the world ought to take.

He therefore called on the civil society to continue to hold governments accountable to deliver as per the Paris Agreement.

Mr Ban said when fielding questions from scribes that he has spoken to United States President elect, Mr Donald Trump about a number of issues including climate change.

It was his intention to also make another effort to meet Mr Trump in person and further discuss the matter and many such issues of interest soon.

Meanwhile Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Ms Patricia Espinosa told members of the press that now that the Paris Agreement has entered into force, it has become obligatory for countries that have ratified to deliver. BOPA