of the Subsidiary Bodies
from Monday, 20 November:
met in a morning Plenary session to consider the reports of the
UNFCCC subsidiary bodies and organizational matters. Her Majesty
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands then joined participants to hear
speeches by Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok and French President
In the afternoon, delegates heard statements from observer States,
intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and
UN bodies. In addition, an informal high-level Plenary meeting of
ministers and senior officials, chaired by COP-6 President Jan Pronk,
met late afternoon to begin negotiations at the ministerial level by
hearing statements on outstanding issues.
Continued on Today's Negotiation page>>
Above photo (L-R): H.E. Jacques Chirac President of France,
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, H.E. Wim Kok
Prime Minister of the Netherlands and UN Under-Secretary General
Wim Kok, Prime Minister of the Netherlands,
drew attention to the dike built by concerned citizens in front of
the Congress Center where this meeting is taking place, and said
he appreciated its symbolic signficance. He said the Netherlands
would achieve half of its emissions reduction target of 6% through
domestic measures, and half through the mechanisms. On developing
countries and development cooperation, he said the Netherlands
would commit 200 million Dutch Guilders for adaptation measures
and capacity building, which would be additional to previously
Real Audio of Prime Minister Kok's plenary address:
| Jacques Chirac, President of France, said he
had come to The Hague with a sense of urgency to make progress.
He stated that since 1992, Parties had fallen too far behind in
taking actions to combat climate change, and cautioned against
further delays. Suggesting that ï¿½everyone is waiting for
someone else to make the first moveï¿½ in negotiations, he
highlighted that the US produces a quarter of the worldï¿½s
emissions, and that the per capita US levels of emissions are
three times higher than those of France. He called on the US to
join other industrialized nations in making a successful
transition to an energy-efficient economy.
Real Audio of President Chirac's plenary address
1 | Part
Right photo: President Jacques Chirac of France delivering his
plenary address this morning
| Statements by Observer States, IGOS, NGOS
The UN DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS
stressed the importance of maintaining the broader principles of
sustainable development within climate negotiations, and warned
delegates against making these discussions too complex and technical
for those outside to understand the process.
Real Audio of the speech to follow
Right photo: UN Under-Secretary General Nitin Desai delivering his
plenary address late this afternoon
The GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) affirmed its
commitment to fully incorporate the outcomes of the COP into its
Audio of Mohammed
El-Ashry's (CEO of Global Environment Facility) plenary
Hamdallah Zedan (Executive Secretary) CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY SECRETARIAT urged Parties to ensure that LULUCF activities
are consistent with, and supportive of, maintaining biodiversity.
Audio of Hamdallah Zedan's plenary address
Maritta Koch-Weser, Director General of IUCNThe WORLD CONSERVATION UNION (IUCN) expressed concern
with the slow pace of negotiations.
Audio of Ms.
Maritta Koch-Weser plenary address
| Press Conference:
L-R) US Senators Chuck Hagle (R-Idaho) and Larry Craig (R-Nebraska)
held a press conference this afternoon, and after initial statements
answered questions from the press.
Sen. Hagel's statement to the
Sen. Craig's statement to the
"What does the US want
with regards to mechanisms?"
"Are sinks an 'elitist'
issue, or are members of your constituency talking about them?"
"Given the degree of scientific
uncertainty surrounding climate change, should the US be involved in
these negotiations at all?"