By Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA
Accra, Nov. 1, GNA - Spain has accepted to host COP25 in place of Chile, that announced on Wednesday her decision to suspend hosting the climate talks in Santiago due to mass protests, a United Nations climate statement has said.
The climate talk, originally scheduled for December 2 to 13 in Chile, was called off by the country due to protests for the past few weeks.
The announcement of the suspension came in just a month to the scheduled date.
The UN Climate statement on the site of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said Spain accepted the offer to hold COP25 in Madrid after Chile’s announcement of civil unrest.
“The announcement by the Spanish Government has, therefore, relieved the UNFCCC Secretariat of its mounted pressure to search for alternative hosting options since the announcement by the Chilean Government.”
Madam Patricia Espinosa, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, was informed by the Chilean Government earlier that “they received a generous offer of support from the Government of Spain to hold the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid on the same dates as originally planned.”
“We are hopeful that the COP Bureau can consider this proposed solution as soon as possible,” the statement said.
It is encouraging to see countries working together in the spirit of multilateralism to address climate change, the biggest challenge facing this and future generations”.
Chile’s President, Sebastian Piñera, said the country would also not be able to host the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, scheduled for November 16 to 17.
Accompanied by the Chilean Environment and Foreign Affairs ministers, President Piñera said: “We deeply regret the problems and inconveniences that this decision will mean for both APEC and COP.
“But as the President of all Chileans, I always have to put the problems and interests of Chileans, their needs, their desires and their hopes first in line.”
Thousands of workers have been protesting in Chile over a wide variety of problems ranging from inequality to the high cost of healthcare even after the government had pledged social reforms.
GNA
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