French Special Envoy for Africa and Middle East on climate change, Ambassador Stephane Gompertz seen during a press conference on Thursday

KUWAIT: The French Embassy in Kuwait held a press conference at its premises on Thursday to discuss the future global agreement on climate change, which will be held in Paris later this year. The 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (COP21) will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11, 2015.

French Special Envoy for Africa and Middle East on climate change, Ambassador Stephane Gompertz is in Kuwait for this purpose, and this visit came one week after the visit of Kuwait Prime Minister to France. “Kuwait and France proposed the transition for all countries towards a greenhouse gases neutral development model by the end of the century, and a long term goal of 100% clean energy.

The diversification of oil and gas producing countries will be progressive, but the direction is set, and investment in energy transition are more concrete and numerous,” stressed Gompertz during the conference. “The Paris Climate 2015 Conference is crucial because it must result in an international climate agreement that represents a tipping point - and sends a clear signal on the transition towards resilient and low GHG emitting societies,” he explained.

For this, France envisions four components: “Firstly, an ambitious, durable, dynamic, and binding agreement on climate change that will be applicable to all; Secondly, a first set of intended national determined contributions (iNDC) representing the efforts that each country feels able to make - by 2025 or 2030. Thirdly, a broad climate finance and means of implementation mobilization, and finally the reinforcement of initiatives under the “Lima-Paris Action Agenda”, demonstrating the commitment of non-state actors to reaching a new and ambitious legal agreement in 2015,” stated Gompertz. As incoming president of COP21, France has a particular responsibility and undertakes to support negotiations.

This involves taking into account the positions of the 196 parties to the climate Convention placed on an equal footing, bringing viewpoints closer and enabling the unanimous adoption of an agreement, and the formation of a real “Paris Alliance”. “I’m here to explain what we expect of the Conference. Success is the key to what we aim to achieve. Successful stories may be an example for other countries to apply.

Ambassador Stephane Gompertz also met the Minister of Oil Ali Al-Omair. He held talks with the Deputy Director General of Kuwait Environment Public Authority, Dr Mohammad Al-Ahmad; the Director General of KISR Dr Naji Al-Mutairi as well as several representatives of Kuwaiti civil society and private sector. Discussions mostly focused on the preparation of the COP21 - the United Nations Climate Change conference that will be held in Paris under the presidency of France (November 30th - December 11th), and the Kuwaiti national contribution (iNDC).

By Nawara Fattahova