Almost 150 heads of state and government from all over the world are in New York this week to attend the traditional opening of the UN General Assembly - UNGA.
Almost 150 heads of state and government from all over the world are in New York this week to attend the traditional opening of the UN General Assembly - UNGA. President of the European Council Fredrik Reinfeldt is hoping that the USA and China will show strong leadership in the climate issue, which is this week’s major topic of discussion.
At a press briefing on Monday, Fredrik Reinfeldt stated that the beginning of the week is all about climate issues, but will then move on to economic and financial issues as he travels to the G20-meeting in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September. Tonight, Mr Reinfeldt, together with the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will host a preparatory working dinner ahead of the major climate summit which is to be held tomorrow.
”We feel that we need to pick up the pace in the climate negotiations. Many things remain to be done ahead of the Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December. The text contains over a thousand formulations on which agreement has yet to be reached. This is why it is so pleasing that President Barack Obama of the USA and President Hu Jintao of China are to hold the opening speeches at tomorrow’s meeting. I find it hard to see how we would be able to reach a global solution on the climate issue without those two key actors showing strong leadership”, Fredrik Reinfeldt said.
The world needs Obama’s leadership
American politics have focused on domestic affairs of late, but tomorrow Obama holds his opening speech at the UN major climate summit. It will be his first ever appearance at the UN.
”What the world needs now is for Obama to show the political leadership that only he has the confidence and ability to show. That he recognises the scientific starting point is promising and makes a great difference from previous American administrations, but I believe that it will take more than that for other countries to take their responsibility as well. We would like to see the USA promise to take its share of the responsibility, with finance initiatives if possible, because I believe that many countries will adjust their climate policy based on the actions of the USA.”
Fredrik Reinfeldt does not believe that the climate issue will be resolved this week, but he hopes that more leaders will show clear leadership and political will to address the climate problems. Or, as he says, that more countries “deviate from their current emission trends”.
“If we get the political leadership in place, then we have laid the foundation for a global answer to the global climate threat. And if the very important presidents of China and the USA can emphasise the seriousness of the issue and the important roles played by their respective countries in reaching a solution, then we have made considerable progress ahead of Copenhagen.”
Footnote: It is Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt who, together with the Minister for International Development Cooperation, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the Environment who represent the Swedish EU Presidency at the UN General Assembly.