Ban Ki-Moon Hails Nobel Laureates/Al Gore, IPCC

[RestoreGore]

http://www.un.org/sg/

Ban Ki-moon hails Nobel laureates Al Gore, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

12 October 2007 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the awarding of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and urged governments to build on the momentum they have generated by adopting a new set of binding commitments to contain greenhouse gas emissions.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban paid tribute to Mr. Gore's “exceptional commitment and conviction, as an example of the crucial role that individuals and civil society can play in encouraging multilateral responses to global issues.”

His spokesperson said Mr. Ban “rejoices with the IPCC, and its co-sponsors, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization.”

Mr. Ban, who has made addressing climate change a key priority of his administration, pointed out that the IPCC's “lucid and well-documented findings” helped to establish “beyond doubt that climate change is happening, and that much of it is caused by human activity.”

This led to “unprecedented momentum for action on climate change around the world, and recognition of the UN as the forum for reaching agreement on it,” he said.

snip

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner also praised the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, saying it “has today made it clear that combating climate change is a central peace and security policy for the 21st century.”

He said the two winners “have contributed significantly to elevating public attention on the issue of global warming while outlining the enormous risks but also the enormous opportunities confronting the world.”

Mr. Steiner emphasized the importance of building on the momentum they have helped to build through “negotiations on a decisive, post 2012 emissions reduction agreement” at the Bali meeting.

snip

With this prize, the IPCC joins the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN peacekeeping, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN mediator Ralph Bunche, secretaries-general Dag Hammarskjöld and Kofi Annan as well as the United Nations itself as Nobel laureates in the UN family.