President of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, and Minister for Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications Simonetta Sommaruga will represent Switzerland at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). They will be accompanied by a delegation of Swiss members of parliament, government officials, and NGOs. Switzerland advocates for a strong work programme on climate protection.
“For Switzerland, the main question to be addressed at COP27 is how to reach the existing goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. To realize this, an ambitious plan for climate protection is required that shoulders the responsibility on those countries and sectors with the highest emissions,” the embassy said in a statement.
Switzerland also plans to adopt implementation rules for market mechanisms. They shall allow countries to implement climate protection projects abroad and have the achieved emission reductions credited to their own climate targets. Also on the agenda are talks on a new joint financing target for supporting climate protection measures in developing countries and for helping them in dealing with loss and damages for the period after 2025. Furthermore, Switzerland will advocate that investments in climate protection are to be strengthened and that all countries, who have the means, contribute. The private sector too should join these efforts. Financial flows are to be directed in a climate-friendly manner.
Cassis, has attended the Leaders’ Summit on 7 November. He will also take part at a round table on food security. On the side-lines of the summit, Cassis will inaugurate the Pavilion of the Swiss-Egyptian Chamber of Commerce (SwissCham Egypt) and the “swisstech” exhibition that features innovative solutions by the Swiss cleantech sector.
Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga is expected to attend the World Climate Conference on 16 November. Together with the Ministers for the Environment of other countries, she will participate in the negotiations at the ministerial level and in the decision-making process of the conference. She will also lead the Environmental Integrity Group (Georgia, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, South Korea, and Switzerland) that is chaired by Switzerland.
