German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius have invited around 35 ministers from all regions of the world to participate in the sixth Petersberg Climate Dialogue from 17 to 19 May 2015.
With the Dialogue, Germany and France want to pave the way for a successful outcome at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris at the end of this year. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande will address the ministers on Tuesday morning.
The Dialogue begins on Monday morning with a discussion of the core elements of the planned agreement of Paris. Ministers will then go on to look at the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) which each country is to formulate and submit and consider mechanisms for enhancing the level of ambition.
On Monday afternoon talks will focus on the role of climate finance and the form a set of rules anchored in the Paris agreement might take to ensure our efforts are comparable, binding and honest.
On Tuesday participants will first discuss the best way to use the time up to COP 21 in Paris in order to resolve as many questions as possible as quickly as possible. The Dialogue will conclude with keynote speeches by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President François Hollande.
To complement the discussions, on Monday at 1:30 pm Federal President Joachim Gauck will host a reception for the participants of the Climate Dialogue in Schloss Bellevue. Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius have also extended a joint invitation to a reception on Monday evening.
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue was launched in 2010 by the Federal Chancellor to give new momentum to the climate negotiations following COP 15 in Copenhagen. Since then, it has become established as a key date in international climate diplomacy.
Each year, the Dialogue is co-chaired by the country hosting the next UN climate summit. A representative selection of ministers from all over the world are invited to discuss possible solutions in an informal atmosphere. The results help inform the official UN negotiations.