London, Oct 21 (UNI) More than 120 world leaders have confirmed their attendance for the COP26 Leaders’ Summit being hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on
November 1-2.
The two-week COP26 Summit, which is taking place in Glasgow from October 31-November 12, kicks off with the World Leaders’ Summit.
The event will also see 80 Pavilions put up, in which countries, civil society and international organisations will be hosting their own curated programmes of events.
COP26 will also have a shared pavilion, that will allow delegations to host events in a pavilion built by the UK.
The UK Pavilion will feature a broad range of partners and events, including on gender equality, and supporting indigenous and local forest communities.
British adventurer, Bear Grylls, will participate in an event on the role of young people in climate solutions with nature, whilst climate economy experts Sir Partha Dasgupta and Lord Nicholas Stern will discuss putting the environment at the heart of economic decision-making.
COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, outlining the programme schedule, said: "We have a day on adaptation and loss and damage, with events held in partnership with the governments of India, Jamaica and Bangladesh. And we have a whole day dedicated to finance, with numerous events focussing on both the public and private sectors, covering everything from overcoming barriers to investment in developing countries to building the foundations of a net zero financial system."
On November 1, the UK and India will co-chair the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a group of 26 countries, and seven international organizations, aimed at promoting resilient infrastructure through cutting-edge research and innovations.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2019 at the UN Climate Change Summit, in New York, the CDRI is an international platform involving the public and private sector.
At the November 1 event, Ministers from the UK, India and key CDRI members (Japan, the US, Australia, UN organisations, Small Island Developing States), and representatives from the private sector, will reiterate their commitment to making infrastructure more resilient to climate related disasters.
The CDRI will present the case for renewed investment in resilient infrastructure, and the scope of its upcoming flagship report (due for publication in 2022).
The UK government on Thursday unveiled its programme of Presidency events for the COP26.
World leaders will be encouraged to set out ambitious actions to reduce emissions - including net zero and on coal, cars, and trees, scale-up action to adapt to the impacts of climate change and mobilise finance, and to collectively signal their commitment to keeping alive the crucial Paris Agreement aim of limiting global temperature rises to well below 2C, and as close as possible to 1.5C, a UK High Commission release said.
Running alongside the formal negotiations, the two-week programme of Presidency events will put a spotlight on how all parts of society and the global economy drives ambitious climate action.
Events fall across key themed days including finance, adapting to the impacts of climate change, energy transition, nature and land-use, gender, and youth.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will open the first of the themed days, with an event on how finance is being made available to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement, and UK government ministers will attend events throughout the two weeks.
Other events include driving forward conversations on the shift from coal to clean power; responding to the recent IPCC report on Science and Innovation day; and a convening of education and climate change ministers with young people to discuss the importance of education in creating climate positive futures.
On Adaptation, Loss & Damage day, communities on the frontline will share their experiences of the worst effects of climate change. This will be followed by a ministerial discussion on efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, it said.
Alok Sharma, said: “Our Presidency themed days are aimed at ensuring COP26 is not a talking shop or a photo opportunity, but a moment for governments and all of society to move forward with practical solutions touching on all aspects of how we inhabit our precious planet.”
The public can also get involved with more than 200 events being hosted in the UK-run Green Zone in Glasgow between Monday November 1 and Friday November 12, it said.
UNI/RN