While the Copenhagen COP15 negotiations fell far short of what was widely claimed to be the essential outcomes, they did represent a major step in achieving international cooperation in addressing climate change, and also revealed many important issues in such processes. These lessons are summarised in the following document:

Dear Council,
 
I am writing this to inform you of some major events related to the UN which have been very poorly covered in the media, and that you may not be adequately aware of.
 
The first is the UN General Assembly General Debate beginning on the 23 Sept in which the US President gave a major speech which I believe represents a hallmark shift in the ethos of the GA, and re-affirms the UN as a central component of global power structures – a position that has become increasingly questioned recently. Our Prime Minister also strongly affirmed the importance of the UN for NZ. Texts of speeches and videos available here. 
 
The GA event was preceded on the 22nd  by a Secretary General’s High Level Summit on Climate Change, attended by John Key, at which major statements were made about the critical importance of an agreement in Copenhagen, and the key elements of that agreement. There was also a luncheon hosted by the Global Compact which brought leaders of key industries together to highlight their role in driving solutions. 

Subsequent to this has been a major UNFCCC Climate Change conference in Bankok from 28 Sept to 9th Oct. This was reportedly attended by some 4000 people, and was accompanied by significant demonstrations. There appear to have been major discrepancies in expectations and perceptions between the developed countries (mainly US and EU), and the developing countries (G77 + China). While the first emphasised the major developments in establishing guidelines and frameworks to enable agreements to be facilitated, the second decried the absence of firm commitments by the developed countries to emission reductions and to finance support, and accused them of abandoning  the Kyoto protocol and the chance of a Copenhagen agreement. Further details can be found here.
 
The almost complete absence of media coverage of the Bankok event is worrying, but probably reflects that complexity of the issues, and the lack of personality foci. I spoke to Helen Plume of the Department of Conservation who did attend the conference, and chaired some of the sessions. She was positive about the clarification of the common interests involved. She also said that the urgency legislation going through parliament was not associated with the Bankok negotiations.
 
Just recently, however, an India China bilateral deal on climate change suggested a new shift in politics. 
 
The Barcelona meeting on 2-6 Nov will set the scene for the Copenhagen meeting 7-18 Dec, which promises to be something of a cliff hanger. Live proceedings and archived video will be available here. Something to provide a little excitement in the run-up to Christmas.
 
Cheers
 
Gray Southon
Special Officer for UN Renewal.