2016-10-06 14:50
Italy's President Sergio
Mattarella met with Unuted Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
in Rome on Thursday.
Ban was on a leave-taking visit as his second five-year
term as UN chief expires at the end of the year.
He is expected to be replaced by Antonio Guterres, a former
prime minister of Portugal and former leader of the Socialist
International who served as UN High Commissioner for Refugees
from 2005 to 2015.
"Next year, Italy will be a non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council and will concentrate on security challenges in
Africa and the Middle East," Mattarella said at the end of his
meeting with Ban at the Quirinal presidential palace.
Italy will champion the UN's commitment to "human rights, a
larger role for women, and the support of moderate religious
leaders in the fight against violent extremism," Mattarella
said.
The Italian head of State also extended his best wishes to
Guterres.
"We are certain his extraordinary international experience
in support of the downtrodden will be the greatest guarantee of
the preservation of Ban Ki-moon's heritage to the United
Nations, which he is bequeathing after 10 years of commitment,"
Mattarella said.
For his part, the outgoing South Korean chief said he is
"truly glad world leaders have grasped the need for action
against climate change. The world really has taken a new path".
"The Paris climate accord was one of my priorities, and it
has been achieved," Ban said.
"The accord will be ratified November 4," he said.
The Paris Agreement, a deal within the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on greenhouse
gas emissions mitigation starting in 2020, was adopted in
December 2015.
As of September 2016, 187 UNFCCC members had signed the
treaty, 60 of which had ratified it.
The agreement will only enter into force when 55 countries
that produce at least 55% of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions ratify it.
Although the minimum number of ratifications has been
reached, the ratifying States do not produce the requisite
percentage of greenhouse gases for the agreement to enter into
force.
In Italy, the Paris agreement has been approved by
government and now goes to parliament for ratification.
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