| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | December 2009 
Statement by Mexican President Felipe Calderón at the End of the 15th United Nations Conference on Climate Change
 Suzanne Stephens Waller - Presidencia de la República
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December 19, 2009
| | During the 15th United Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented Mexican President Felipe Calderón with the Globe Award for International Leadership on the Environment. | |
Good afternoon, members of the media:
I am grateful for your presence here, after several long, intense days of negotiation and work, which you have followed closely.
This is perhaps the first time that Heads of State and Government, representing various nations, have worked virtually 24 hours non-stop, with a few intervals, to reach an agreement I feel it is important to comment on.
We all knew we would find a particularly complex panorama here, because of the different circumstances and positions of the 192 countries that would participate in this Conference and the breadth of the agenda linked to the fight against climate change.
This panorama led to long, complicated and sometimes tense negotiations, in which Mexico played a key role in establishing short and medium term financial mechanisms, essential to meeting the commitments and actions agreed on.
Fortunately, everything would seem to indicate that after moments of enormous tension, when we nearly failed to reach an agreement, tonight the Conference will probably adopt the Copenhagen Agreement, covering various aspects of climate change.
It includes global mitigation goals, commitments to reduce emissions in developed countries, increased actions by developing countries, which we, including Mexico, have established, together with various unilateral commitments.
It also acknowledges the need to promote adaption in more vulnerable countries, and the role that must be played by various actions not considered until now, such as support for the forestry sector, capacity building and resources from both the market and private and public funds to promote mitigation actions.
Major economic pledges were also made by developed countries to support the agreements reached here.
I am pleased to say that the agreement includes the approval of funds, including the Copenhagen Green Fund that Mexico has insistently promoted to ensure medium and long-term financing.
Mexico’s position in this negotiation and the efforts we have made in Mexico to advance in the fight against climate change, have also been widely recognized.
I know that this agreement is a long way from what many hoped for and what the world needs, despite the enormous efforts of the countries here, which are truly committed to this issue.
However, the progress achieved should serve as the basis for a future agreement that will enable us to achieve the goal of reducing emissions that the scientific commitment assures us are necessary for the viability of the planet.
I am convinced that human beings have the ability to make difficult decisions, which are absolutely necessary.
I also believe that, as governments, we must learn the lessons drawn from the experience in Copenhagen this week. I am convinced that this is the only way we will be able to bring this process to conclusion that our countries hope for.
We must establish new formulae and new rules that will enable us to ensure that coincidences prevail over differences, understand that the rule of consensus is not necessarily a permanent veto of countries' and governments' will.
At the same time, I should say that during this long day, Mexico will be designated host country for the 16th Conference.
On behalf of Mexicans, I assume this responsibility with pride and an enormous commitment. The progress achieved here, which Denmark and its government made such an effort to ensure, should be increased in the coming months to ensure the success of COP16, on the basis of which it will be possible to agree on a legally binding instrument.
I think that we should undertake the necessary negotiations immediately, and do so bearing in mind the fact that mankind has called for specific agreements and solid progress, which will enable us to fight on this issue.
We will be the world’s hosts at the next Conference and we are determined to play a key role in the definition of a new agreement that will enable us to expand the scale of mitigation and adaptation worldwide.
Thank you for your attention.
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