The 23rd Climate Change Conference, COP23, will take place in Bonn from 6 to 17 November this year. Under the Presidency of the Republic of Fiji, delegates from 197 countries will negotiate the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The COP will be held in Bonn, as home of the UNFCCC Secretariat. Together with representatives of the city of Bonn and the United Nations, State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry Jochen Flasbarth today launched a local poster campaign entitled “Natürlich Bonn” (naturally Bonn) and reported on the latest progress in COP preparations.
Jochen Flasbarth: “Organising a conference of this size presents a city and its citizens with major challenges. In close cooperation with the United Nations, the Federal Environment Ministry will actively support the city of Bonn in facilitating the smooth running and productivity of the conference. We want to organise a conference that is as greenhouse gas-neutral as possible.”
COP23 is following the “one conference - two zones” principle. Delegate negotiations will take place in the Bula Zone, which will comprise the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB), the UN Campus and temporary buildings on the Deutsche Welle campus. Bula is the Fiji word for “hello”. The Bonn Zone, located in the Rheinaue Park, will be the central conference location for delegates, civil society organisations and representatives from industry and the scientific community to exchange approaches and project ideas on the practical implementation of the Paris Agreement. There will also be limited access for interested citizens and school groups. To optimise interaction between the two zones, a regular shuttle service will be in operation and bicycles will be provided free of charge to conference participants.
Work will begin in mid-August on the temporary structures in the Rheinaue Park and behind the Deutsche Welle building. These areas will be fenced and closed off to the public for safety reasons from construction to dismantling which will be complete at the end of December. To facilitate construction, some preliminary work will be carried out at the start of August (e.g. laying cables, lightning protection).
The Natürlich Bonn awareness campaign will provide information on the conference to familiarise the citizens of Bonn with this big event. The placard reads Klimaschutz und Bonn ist wie Himmel und Äd (Climate action and Bonn are like Himmel und Äd (a local dish in Bonn), implying that climate action and Bonn go hand in hand) and is aimed at highlighting the pivotal role the federal city plays in global climate policy. From August, citizens in Bonn will have the opportunity to participate in various activities related to climate action. For instance, the Federal Environment Ministry is planning events on climate action and COP23 for school children in Bonn.
Ashok Sridharan, the mayor of Bonn, remarked confidently: “The eyes of the world will be on Bonn during the conference from 6 to 17 November. More than 20,000 delegates are expected to attend. With this poster campaign, the Federal Environment Ministry and the city of Bonn are gearing local citizens up for this event. I hope that, despite the restrictions, the people of Bonn will get behind this conference and we can present ourselves as good hosts. This is a big opportunity for Bonn as Germany’s UN city.”
For the campaign, posters will be made available free of charge by the city. The campaign will run on large billboards and poster displays around the city of Bonn from 24 July for two weeks and from 21 August for another week.