Tsinghua University holds the “Friends of the Paris Agreement” High Level Dialogue Meeting
Organized by the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University (ICCSD), the “Friends of the Paris Agreement” High Level Dialogue Meeting was held in Tsinghua University, on March 25th-26th. High-level delegates who have made great contributions to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and its Implementation Rules were invited to reunite and offer suggestions on the upcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit in September and the post-2020 implementation of the Paris Agreement. Chairperson of University Council Chen Xu and President Qiu Yong, attended the inaugural ceremony and evening banquet, and delivered speeches.
Xie Zhenhua, President of the ICCSD stated in his speech, “the Paris Agreement seems like the baby of our joint efforts in collaboration with other related parties. As ‘the Friends of the Paris Agreement’, all of us must make sure that the baby will grow up in good health and sustainably. Following the conclusion of the Paris Agreement and its Implementation Rules, we should focus on the implementation of the next step. One of our important missions this year is to hold the United Nations Climate Action Summit and mobilize all sides to greater efforts. Today’s event is to create a non-government and unofficial platform where old friends will gather for free talk and brainstorming, in the hope of expressing opinions on the United Nations Climate Action Summit, making proposals on how to continue implementing the Paris Agreement effectively and in an all-round manner, and contributing our wisdom and solutions to the green and low-carbon development of the world.
Zhao Yingmin, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, introduced China’s progress in addressing climate change. He emphasized that “green and low-carbon development is a concern of communities worldwide and also a strategic choice by China to promote ecological civilization. To address climate change proactively is not only an intrinsic need of China to achieve sustainable development, but also the responsibility to build a community with a shared future for mankind. No matter how the situation changes, China will unswervingly insist on deepening its cooperation with the rest of the world, and stand determined to promote the multilateral process of climate change and promote global cooperation on addressing climate change”.
Chen Xu, Chairperson of Tsinghua University Council, stressed in her opening remarks that Tsinghua University has carried out fruitful research and accumulated practical experience in the fields of climate and energy. ICCSD has further integrated resources and availed itself of its advantages under the leadership of President Xie Zhenhua. Productive progress has been made in the fields of significant policy research, global climate governance, international cooperation and future talent cultivation, and the like. At the Davos Summit early 2019, Tsinghua University proposed to set up a “Global Alliance of Universities on Climate”. What Tsinghua University made in these intensive arrangements is exactly in the hope of providing China’s proposals on climate governance for the world.
Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, attended the welcome dinner and delivered a speech in which he extended his sincere thanks to the “Friends of the Paris Agreement”. President Qiu emphasized that in the face of significant challenges like climate change, universities and leading universities in particular should especially undertake vital and special missions. Tsinghua University would like to join hands with the international community to make contributions to the sustainable development of mankind.
In dialogue for one day and a half, delegates held frank and constructive dialogues with regard to significant issues such as experience in the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, challenges during the implementation phase, the direction of intensified action, and this year’s Summit and United Nations Climate Change Conference, as well as other issues concerning the future tendency of global climate governance.
Participants believed that the Paris Agreement marks a crucial milestone in the multilateral process of addressing climate change. Last year, the rules for the imperative of COP24 in Katowice were concluded. At this event, participants determined a series of rules and institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The international community is embarking on a long path to address climate change, for which we need to make tangible efforts to implement the Paris Agreement in a comprehensive, effective and sustainable manner.
Participants called for the international community to further join efforts to make this year’s Summit succeed; promote the effective and sustainable implementation of the Paris Agreement comprehensively; boost international collaboration to its widest extent and scale up technological innovation, in a bid to achieve the long-term goals under the Paris Agreement and to promote green and low-carbon development in response to climate change and sustainability.
It was decided through meeting that ‘the Friends of the Paris Agreement’ High Level Dialogue will be implemented as a civil exchange mechanism. More delegates will attend the meeting and discuss wider issues. The conclusion of this meeting will be forwarded to the UN Secretary General António Guterres through his envoy. Through consultations, it is expected that the second high-level dialogue will be unveiled in Paris, France, and provide ongoing wisdom for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Envoy of UN Secretary-General for the 2019 Climate Action Summit, Anne-Sophie Cerisola, Deputy Special Envoy of UN Secretary-General for the 2019 Climate Action Summit, Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of Environment and Water Resources of Singapore,Todd Stern, former US Special Envoy on Climate Change Affairs, Izabella Teixeira, former Minister of Environment of Brazil,Manuel PULGAR Vidal, former Minister of Environment of Peru, Laurence Tubiana, former ambassador for international climate negotiations of France,Tsakani Ngomane, Chief Climate Change Negotiator of South Africa, Sun Jin, Special Representative for Climate Change Negotiation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Sun Zhen, Deputy Director General of Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Jiang Zhaoli, Deputy Director General of Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Gao Jian, Vice Director-General, National Development and Reform Commission of China, He Jiankun, Chairman of the Academic Committee, Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Zhou Qian, Director of Climate Change Office of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Zou Ji, President of Energy Foundation China, and other high level delegates attended the event. Li Zheng, Executive Vice President of ICCSD presided over the dialogue, and Zhang Jian, Vice President was in charge of interactive exchanges.
Contributor: Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Photographer: Chang Zhidong
Editors: John Olbrich, Guo Lili
