Climate
Change In
UNSC, Behind
Closed Doors,
Marshall
Islands of
Silence?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 11 –
A big topic at
the UN, but
with little
fanfare: the
Security
Council will
hold a
so-called
“Arria formula
informal
meeting” on
February 15 on
the “security
dimensions of
climate
change.”
The
meeting was
not on the
Security
Council's
program of
work for
February; it
was not listed
in Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesperson's
"Week Ahead."
At an
ill-attended
press
conference on
February 11
about
the
International
Year for Water
Cooperation,
Inner City
Press asked
a number of
questions,
including on
behalf of the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access.
In
his response,
the World
Meteorological
Organization's
Paul Egerton
said that
“there may be
discussions at
the high
political
level, in
the UN
Security
Council or
other venues,
of the
political
issues.”
He also said
that the
Security
Council would
an informal
meeting
about climate
change.
Inner
City Press
asked some
Council
members, and
found that the
sponsors of
the stealth
session are
the Pakistan
and the UK,
which had
convened
on the topic
before.
Inner
City Press'
inquiry with
the UK
mission's so
far responsive
spokesperson
Iona Thomas
yielded this:
Matthew:
The
UK and
Pakistan are
co-hosting and
Arria formula
informal
meeting
on Friday to
discuss the
security
dimensions of
climate
change. The
meeting will
aim to provide
an opportunity
to continue to
discuss the
potential for
the adverse
effects of
climate change
to impact
negatively
upon
international
peace and
security.
There
will be
presentations
from a panel
including Mr
Tony deBrum,
Minister-in-assistance
to the
President of
the Marshall
Islands;
Professor Hans
Schellnhuber,
Head of the
Potsdam
Institute for
Climate
Impacts
Research; Ms
Rachel Kyte,
World Bank
Vice-President
for
Sustainable
Development
and Mr Gyan
Acharya,
Under-Secretary-General
and High
Representative
for least
developed
countries,
landlocked
developing
countries, and
small island
developing
states.
Members of the
Security
Council and
other members
states will
also have the
opportunity to
contribute.
Sounds
interesting.
But why so
quiet? And why
so
closed-door?
Not only Inner
City Press,
but now the Free UN Coalition for Access, will try
to
look into it.
Watch this
site.
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