Lima draft pact vital for Paris agreement in 2015: UN chief

The draft pact to be reach in Lima is vital as it will provide a sound basis for a binding climate agreement in Paris in 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday, urging negotiators at a UN climate conference in Peru to take united action to produce a balanced and coherent draft text.

"This is not a time for tinkering but transformation. The momentum for action is building," Ban said in his address to the high-level segment of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, currently underway in Peru.

"We are in this historical moment in Lima to write a new story, reach a universal agreement and talk with one voice. I call on governments to invest in climate agreement. In Lima, we need to produce a balanced and coherent draft text," said the UN chief.

Noting that there is still chance to stay within internationally agreed ceiling of less than 2 degree Celsius of global temperature rise, Ban said: "We must act now, but the window of opportunity is closing fast. All countries must be part of the solution."

Ban called on governments to deliver a balanced, coherent draft text to lay a solid foundation for Paris agreement in 2015 and urged the parties concerned to reach a common understanding on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and climate finance.

He made five-point requests at the event: a balanced draft agreement to offer a foundation for Paris, a common understanding for commitments countries to make, more pledges to the Green Climate Fund and a pathway to meet 100 U.S. dollars per year by 2020 for poorer countries, coordinated action to encourage private sector, business and civil society, and also ratification of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol during the second commitment period.

Ban also expressed his appreciation of the recent climate moves that China, the United States and the European Union have made before the conference, which he said opened the door for all major economies and other industrialized nations in particular to bring forward their contributions to the Paris agreement in a timely fashion.

On Nov. 12, China and the United States staked out an ambitious plan to curb carbon emissions. The European Union also pledged in September to slash greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and to offer aid to developing nations.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP 20/CMP 10 President, started Tuesday's meeting by stressing the "Lima spirit." The Peruvian environment minister said he was keeping a close eye on negotiations, especially those over a 2015 climate deal.

"I am assessing its progress continuously. I am ready to take the necessary decisions to ensure you can intensify your work and have outcomes this week. I ask you to help us, even if this means you sleep less in the next day," said Pulgar-Vidal.

Christiana Figueres, executive-secretary of UNFCCC, warned delegates that "we are running out of time. We must plant seeds of much more secure, just and prosperous world for all."

She noted that time had come to leave incremental change behind and asked leaders to "courageously steer world toward profound and fundamental transformation."

In his remarks to the Conference, General Assembly President Sam Kutesa called for collective urgent actions towards mitigation and adaptation and labeled the Lima Conference "a decisive step" toward the hope of ambitious outcome and bold commitments. He also emphasized that the principles of fairness and common but differentiated responsibilities must be adhered to when tackling climate change.

The host country Peru presented a cultural performance, Pachamama, or Offering to Mother Earth in English, at the high- level opening. In this ceremony, an Andean traditional priest acts as the link between man and Mother Earth and calls upon the elements of water, earth, fire and air to establish harmony between human beings, cosmos and nature. This ceremony describes an act of love and offering of energy to mankind and the universe.

The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which opened here on Dec. 1, brings together 196 Parties to the UNFCCC in an effort to hammer out a new universal treaty, which would enter force by 2020. The conference wraps up on Friday.