Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USUNNEWYORK475
2007-06-13 15:09:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
USUN New York
Cable title:  

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: JULY

Tags:  SENV KGHG ECON UNGA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0475 1641509
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131509Z JUN 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2057
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2729
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000475 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES, OES/EGC, IO, IO/EDA
NSC PASS TO CEQ - JCONNAUGHTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG ECON UNGA
SUBJECT: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: JULY
31-AUG 1

REF: A. USUN NEW YORK 302

B. USUN NEW YORK 314

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000475

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES, OES/EGC, IO, IO/EDA
NSC PASS TO CEQ - JCONNAUGHTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG ECON UNGA
SUBJECT: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: JULY
31-AUG 1

REF: A. USUN NEW YORK 302

B. USUN NEW YORK 314


1. (SBU) General Assembly President (PGA) Sheikha Haya
al-Khalifa informed missions in a June 9 letter that the GA
informal thematic debate "Climate Change as a global
challenge" has now been officially scheduled for July
31-August 1. The GA debate had been requested by the New
York Committee of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) with the support of the European Union (EU),and the
new dates no longer conflict with the July meeting of the UN
Economic and Social Council in Geneva. (Comment: ASEAN has
told us informally that the purpose of the debate is simply
to have the GA reassert its "ownership" of climate change
following the provocative and divisive UK decision to have a
Security Council debate on the subject this past April; ref

A. End comment.)


2. (U) The PGA letter described the purpose of the two-day
informal debate as "raising awareness and (building) momentum
on climate change, in particular, in preparation for the
Secretary-General's High-level event in September" (ref B).

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The format will be a brief opening ceremony followed by two
expert panels on a range of climate issues, with the second
day devoted to an ad hoc general discussion. The
Secretary-General's Climate Change Envoys will participate.

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The SYG's office will also prepare a "factual background
paper" as input to the debate, to be made available in the
near future.


3. (SBU) USUN recommends adopting the same low-key approach
to this event as we took in the April UNSC debate and at
other recent GA thematic debates on other topics. USUN will
consult with the Secretariat to try to ensure that panelists
are a serious and balanced group of experts rather than
celebrities with political agendas.
KHALILZAD