NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 12 – The candidacy of the United Kingdom, in partnership with Italy, for hosting COP26 (the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations on Climate Change) has been supported with unanimity by the UN’s regional group WEOG (Western European and Others Group).
The candidacy will need a final approval from COP25, scheduled to take place in Santiago of Chile between the 2nd and 13th of December of next year. If the candidacy is approved, the United Kingdom will host the COP26 in Glasgow at the end of 2020, whereas Italy will be organizing various important preparatory events, among them the “COP of the Youth” and the “Pre-COP”. Other initiatives will have Africa as its focus.
“The support of our regional UN Group strengthens our credibility as first-row actors, at the international level, in the fight against climate change. To this result -of particular importance given the fast approaching of the Climate Summit summoned in New York by the UN’s Secretary General- our diplomatic network gave an effective contribution,” said the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio. He further underlined that “Italy is committed to contributing ideas, competences and organization, given also that our G20 Presidency in 2021 draws closer”.
Through the partnership initiated over the past months, Italy and the United Kingdom are motivated to promote the highest possible level of ambition for the upcoming CO26. They are determined to push for concrete actions, deemed necessary for the full and timely achievement of the Paris Agreement.
The endorsement strengthens the strategic cooperation between Italy and the United Kingdom on the theme of climate change, a cooperation which is expected to develop at all upcoming multilateral meetings, from the UN’s Climate Action Summit due on the 23rd of September to December’s COP25. In 2021 Italy and the United Kingdom will furthermore simultaneously acquire Presidency of the G2O and G7 respectively. (@OnuItalia)
