Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and her Peruvian counterpart Manuel Pulgar-Vidal have invited some 35 ministers from all regions of the world to Berlin to participate in the fifth Petersberg Climate Dialogue from 13 to 15 July 2014. The ministers will have the opportunity to discuss central issues of international climate action informally. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Peruvian President Ollanta Humala will speak to the ministers Monday afternoon.
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks made the following statement: "Holding climate negotiations is not like solving math problems. Because human beings do the negotiating, it is very important that we come together at the political level to see where we can find compromises and what arguments our negotiating partners respond to. That is what the Petersberg Climate Dialogue is about."
Since 2010, Germany's Federal Government has hosted the Climate Dialogue, which has established itself as a key date in the climate diplomacy calendar. The co-chair is always the country that is holding the next climate change conference - this year that is Peru. On Monday, the ministers will first discuss their ideas on the structure of the climate agreement that is to be adopted in Paris in 2015 and enter into force in 2020. Another item on the agenda will be the national contributions to the agreement, which are to be presented by March 2015. On Tuesday, the focus will be on deliverables for the climate change conference in Lima in December and the question of what countries can do before 2020.
Among the high-ranking guests will be the former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, who is the Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. In September, the Commission will make economic policy recommendations bringing together both growth and climate action.