Paris Climate Change Agreement enters into force today – Marrakesh Climate Change Conference starts on Monday

The UN climate change negotiations continue in Marrakesh, Morocco on 7-18 November. The nations of the world meet in Marrakesh in a situation where the Paris Climate Change Agreement has just entered into force.

The threshold for the entry into force of the Paris Agreement was surpassed in the beginning of October when the EU, among others, delivered the ratification document to the UN Secretary-General in New York. The agreement enters into force today, on 4 November, 30 days after the date when the threshold was achieved. This means that the first session of the Parties to the Paris Agreement can now be held in connection with the Marrakesh Climate Change Conference.

The Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen heads the Finnish delegation during the high-level meetings on 15-18 November.

"The Paris Agreement entered into force more quickly than almost anyone could have believed. Now there is a will in the world to take climate action, as also shown by the recent agreements on reducing the HFC compounds and emissions from air traffic. Now we have to proceed with all the details in the implementation of the Paris Agreement", he says.

The first session of the Parties to the Paris Agreement will be held in Marrakesh on 15 November. So far the agreement has been ratified by 97 parties, representing around 69% of the global GHG emissions.

"I’m happy that Finland will be completing the national ratification process by the first session. We’ve also seen a lot of progress in implementing different climate actions. The speed at which global climate politics is moving has to be taken into consideration in the finalization of our new energy and climate strategy and the ambition set in our government program put promptly into practice", Minister Tiilikainen says.

Outi Honkatukia, Chief Negotiator for Climate Change at the Ministry of the Environment, will head the Finnish delegation during the first week of the meeting.

“More than 20 years of climate talks culminated in the Paris Agreement. Now in Marrakesh it is important to make rapid progress in preparing the implementation in terms of the whole content of the agreement and as a joint effort of all nations – without any reinterpretation", Honkatukia says.

The key negotiation themes in Marrakesh concern the common transparency framework, implementing national climate actions, and creating a process to boost the achievement of the emissions reduction targets by which global warming would stay below 2°C compared to the pre-industrialised level. Means will also be sought to reinforce the capacity of especially the poorest countries.

Besides the session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP22), there will be meetings of several subsidiary bodies and side events. Finland will be showcased especially in the events at the common Nordic pavilion, where the topics include cleantech innovations and citizens' role in mitigating climate change.

The Finnish Parliament approved the Government proposal concerning the ratification of the Paris Agreement on 25 October. The Parliament's reply will be discussed at the Government Plenary Session on 10 October. On 11 November the decision on the ratification of the Paris Agreement is to be presented to the President of the Republic, who signs the ratification documentnkirjann. After that the ratification document is to be deposited with the UN Secretary General in New York. With respect to Finland the agreement will enter into force 30 days after being deposited.

Inquiries:

Outi Honkatukia, Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 50 341 1758, [email protected] (Marrakesh Climate Change Conference)

Tuija Talsi, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 40 720 5574, [email protected] (Paris Climate Change Agreement; national ratification process)

Jussi Palmén, Communication Specialist, tel. +358 50 532 2278, [email protected] (requests for interviews with Minister Tiilikainen during the Marrakesh Conference)