Paris Agreement brings hope but to deliver the poorest need to be heard at UN climate talks

As the Paris Agreement enters into force, IIED director Andrew Norton calls for the voices of the most vulnerable to be heard, and for a timetable for action to be agreed.
Press release, 03 November 2016

Ahead of the Paris Agreement on climate change coming into force, Andrew Norton, director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, said: "The collective determination to push the Paris Agreement through at such speed is reason for hope. But for it to be effective in keeping temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the voices of the people who will be hit hardest by the devastating impacts of climate change need to be heard when governments meet in Marrakech next week.

"Governments must work to plan practical steps for the agreement's implementation and set out how climate finance can actually reach people in the poorest, most vulnerable countries.

"It is equally vital that governments agree a timetable for action. Every five years they need both to review their progress and update their action in line with what the science recommends, as well as set out what steps they plan to take for the following five years.

"The world's poorest must be heard if the success of Paris is to deliver."

Contact

For more information, contact Beth Herzfeld (beth.herzfeld@iied.org), IIED's senior media officer –tel: +44 (0)7557 658 482

Notes to editors

  • The Paris Agreement on climate change comes into force on Friday, 4 November 2016. It entered into force faster than almost any other treaty
  • IIED is a policy and action research organisation. We promote sustainable development to improve livelihoods and protect the environments on which these livelihoods are built. We specialise in linking local priorities to global challenges. IIED is based in London and works in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific, with some of the world's most vulnerable people. We work with them to strengthen their voice in the decision-making arenas that affect them – from village councils to international conventions.

For more information or to request an interview, contact Simon Cullen: 
+44 7503 643332 or simon.cullen@iied.org