Latest update January 7th, 2025 4:10 AM
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UN climate chief to resign
UN climate Chief Yvo de Boer says he is resigning from July 1
The United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer announced yesterday he was resigning from the job, just two months after climate change talks he spearheaded in Copenhagen failed to come up with a legally binding agreement.
He said he would step down from July to join the consultancy group KPMG as global adviser on climate and sustainability, plus work with a number of universities.
The high-profile UN climate chief said he was announcing his decision early so that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has plenty of time to appoint a successor in a year crucial to global negotiations.
Mr. de Boer served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since September 2006.
“It was a difficult decision to make, but I believe the time is ripe for me to take on a new challenge, working on climate and sustainability with the private sector and academia,” de Boer said in announcing his resignation in Amsterdam.
“I have always maintained that while governments provide the necessary policy framework, the real solutions must come from business,” de Boer said.
“Copenhagen did not provide us with a clear agreement in legal terms, but the political commitment and sense of direction toward a low-emissions world are overwhelming. This calls for new partnerships with the business sector and I now have the chance to help make this happen,” he added.
The global environmental Non-Governmental Organisation Greenpeace said de Boer injected much-needed dynamism and straight-talking into his role at the UN.
“He has been a passionate and sometimes emotional advocate for a global deal to avert climate chaos, and has set the bar for what leading the UNFCCC is about,” Greenpeace said in a statement.
Kim Carstensen, leader of the World Wildlife Fund’s Global Climate Initiative said de Boer has been successful in changing attitudes towards climate change across the world.
“Throughout the negotiation process Mr. de Boer continuously worked to provide a platform for both rich and poor nations and tried to give them equal opportunities to express their views and speak out for their rights.
“We are all disappointed with the results of Copenhagen, but we think Yvo de Boer did all that was possible to achieve a fair and binding deal. It was the lack of agreement between governments that led to the unsatisfying outcome of the Conference of the Parties,” said Carstensen.
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