World leaders who gathered in September 2009 in the context of the UN General Assembly, and also in various fora all over the globe, have called for a comprehensive and forward-looking interna-tional climate change agreement at the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009.

The process leading to Copenhagen was launched in Bali, December 2007, when all Parties agreed on the Bali Action Plan—a 2-year process leading to an agreed outcome on climate change in Copenhagen. Although it now appears that a comprehensive agreement will not be reached at Copenhagen, negotiations are sure to continue in 2010.

 

Building on this 2-year process of global meetings and media attention calling on world leaders and intergovernmental negotiators to 'seal the deal' in Copenhagen and beyond, much remains to be done to achieve anambitious an  equitable climate change agreement. With the clock ticking fast, one key question that remains largely un- answered is: How will the climate change agreement of Copenhagen and beyond Copenhagen impact the lives of millions of poor and vulnerable com-munities and countries around the world?