This coming December, KKL-JNF will participate in
'COP 15' - the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties,
which is the periodic gathering of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year, it will convene in
Copenhagen, Denmark and by its finish, it is expected that the
Copenhagen Protocol will be signed, a follow-up to the agreements of
the Kyoto Protocol, which will terminate in 2012. The purpose is to
bring about a reduction in global hothouse gas emissions, in order to
address the climate crisis that threatens the world.
The
delegation from KKL-JNF will be going to the conference as part of the
official delegation from the State of Israel, led by the Ministry for
Protection of the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In
addition, KKL-JNF will take part as an NGO (non-governmental
organization) observer, through KKL-JNF in Denmark.
At Copenhagen, it is expected that the US, which is one of the
main "contributors" to hothouse gas emissions in the world, will
present the new administration's policy on the issue. A declaration is
also expected from representatives of the European Union, who are
leading the fight against global warming. Israel is expected to be
recognized as a developed country, which will obligate it to reduce its
emissions and adapt its economy to these changes.
The different working groups meet simultaneously at the COP and
many contact groups convene according to topics and interest, in side
events or bilateral meetings. Israel is not part of any interest group.
KKL-JNF has submitted a request to participate in the conference's Side
Events & Exhibits and the appropriate authorization will hopefully
be received in mid-November.
The exhibit that KKL-JNF is planning is its "Exhibit of the Green Revolution in the Negev Desert including Forestry, Water and Agriculture" while the side event will be under the name "Green Innovations & Achievements Serving Humanity / Combating Desertification and Global Warming."
The UNFCCC comprises 192 countries as full members, with another
four as observers. The countries recognized as parties are those that
have signed the treaty at the UN Conference on Environment and
Development, informally known as "The Earth Summit" in 1992. Only these
states are entitled to conduct negotiations and to make decisions
relating to the UNFCCC's spheres of activity.
Other
bodies and organizations can attend only as observers, for instance
NGOs, IGOs (inter-governmental organizations) or media organizations,
without the rights to conduct negotiations or make decisions.
Since the Conference of Parties first started, about a thousand
organizations have been authorized to attend as observers. This year,
of the 500 that submitted their candidacy, 340 were approved, and
KKL-JNF Denmark is one of them.
For more information, please visit our website at www.kkl.org.il/eng or e-mail ahuvab@kkl.org.il
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