COP17/CMP7 opens in Durban

28 November 2011 – The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol began today in Durban, South Africa. The theme of the COP17/CMP7 is Working Together; Saving Tomorrow Today.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Durban 2011, will bring together representatives of the world’s governments, international organizations and civil society. The discussions will seek to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.

Bhutan’s delegation is also participating actively in the event. There are around 15 officials from Bhutan, including two from RSPN and one from Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation. In addition, another delegate represents RSPN as an NGO. RSPN is a member of Climate Action Network of South Asia (CANSA) and a recognized UNFCCC observer organization. One can follow the negotiations through ECO published by the Climate Action Network on a daily basis at http://climatenetwork.org/eco-newsletters and Earth news Bulletin publised by IISD at htto://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop17/

Please follow daily updates of the event on UNFCCC’s website at http://unfccc.int/2860.php