Speech by Mr Nicolas Sarkozy

Heads of governments or of state, Mr Secretary General of the United Nations

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s a great honour for me to have been invited to your commonwealth summit. In particular, to our host, Prime Minister Manning, my very sincerest thanks. To you all, I bring best wishes and greetings from France.

It’s the first time that a President of the French Republic has been invited to a Commonwealth summit. What once would have been inconceivable is happening today, because what concerns us in the present – the future of the planet- is a cause worthy enough to unite us and mobilise us.

Your organisation and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), have a need to work more closely together because the global challenges, with which we are currently confronted, require ever more united solutions. I make this observation with the authorisation of the acting president of the OIF, Prime minister, Stephen Harper.

Your work will begin in a few minutes. I hope that this work will make a decisive contribution towards an ambitious and global agreement at Copenhagen. Please allow me to give my best greetings to the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Rasmussen, who will have the weighty task of presenting a final text to assembled world leaders on 18^th December.

The path that he proposes, an agreement that is the forerunner of binding commitments that will have legal structure as of 2010, is the only possible course of action. Your public support for this process will be a big contribution towards success at Copenhagen.

Here, I would like to launch an appeal to all the Heads of state or of Government, to come in person to the summit at Copenhagen. Only leaders can make the major decisions that are necessary to conclude the agreement on the 18^th December. Their presence will guarantee that the world will not settle for a reduced offer that the can delay vital decisions that can’t wait any longer.

Europe is determined to act. Since December 2008 it has taken on ambitious plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 2020 and 2050. It is ready, as you all know, to back up these plans, should other industrialised nations take on comparable reductions in their emissions.

The United States has this week expressed their desire to go ahead. It’s a step in the right direction.

Some big developing countries have also agreed to act. I am in particular, thinking of Brazil and China. But, the time has come for all the big CO2 emitters in the world to publicly announce the introduction of national measures that they have implemented or are in the process of implementing.

Together with Brazilian President Lula, we have adopted, this past 14^th November, a joint decision to prepare for Copenhagen. We have seen how a developing country and an industrialised country have found themselves on a level playing field with regards to their ambitions. The joint aim for us all must be to reduce global warming by two degrees. It is, for many men, women and for many countries on this planet, simply a question of survival.

Together, Brazil and France call for a reduction in global emissions of CO2 of 50% from what they were in 1990 by 2050. Together, we are asking that a peak in global emissions be reached as soon as possible

We know what a successful agreement at Copenhagen will depend on: ambitious reduction objectives for developed countries, national measures to limit the growth of emissions in developing countries, a substantial financial package to help developing countries to adapt to the changing climate and to change their model for growth. I would like to add that together with Lula, we are calling for members of the international community to accept the measures and legitimacy of the decisions that are made.

In conclusion, I’d like to stress the importance of three points that are key to a balanced and effective agreement and that France plans to fight towards over the course of the next few weeks.

First, the Copenhagen agreement must be fair. It must be the frontrunner for concrete actions to help the poorest and most vulnerable countries. A real plan “for climate justice” must be built upon to allow access for the least advanced countries to energy sources, to help islands to cope with the consequences of rising sea levels and to overcome together, the cost of development and of climate change.

For this, at Copenhagen, we must make a financial commitment for the three years 2020, 2011 and 2012 of 10 million dollars a year. An ambitious mechanism must also be put into place to ensure the necessary financing reaches developing countries after 2012.

Secondly, the fight against deforestation must be recognised as a priority at Copenhagen. Yesterday I was in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest in Manaus, at the invitation of President Lula. Avoiding deforestation is one of the least costly and most efficient ways to reduce the world’s global CO2 emissions. The preservation of primary rainforests is a necessity for the climate and for global biodiversity.

I propose that together we adopt the aim of reducing half of all deforestation between now and 2020 and to put a limit in place between now and 2030. And we should start immediately. I propose that 20% of international financing intended for the following three years should be devoted to this goal and that this should be accentuated as of 2013.

Third and finally, we must seriously reform international governance of the environment. Together with Lula, we propose the creation of a global organisation for the environment and sustainable development. This is not only the most objective and fair way of ensuring that the decisions made in Copenhagen are put into place, but it would also be a first step, a foundation, for reform of global management of the environment. Faced with the financial crisis, we were able to find an adaptable solution. We won’t overcome the environmental crisis without a new example of this- focused on the environment and development.

I thank you.

Speech by Mr Nicolas Sarkozy - English translation