Foreign Affairs Minister signs Paris Climate Change Agreement at high level ceremony in New York

TRINIDAD:  April 25, 2016: Trinidad and Tobago joined 174 other countries to sign the Paris Climate Change Agreement at a special High-Level signing event which took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday April 22, 2016.

The large number of signatories representing individual countries, 175 in total, is being hailed as a record for the number of adherents to an international agreement on the first day it was open for signature. In presiding over the High-Level event, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon noted the unprecedented participation of Heads of State and Government as well as Ministers from diverse regions of the world. He indicated that the success of the event is attributed to the continued momentum or urgent global action on climate change sparked at the Paris Conference in December 2015 where the Agreement was finalized and welcomed by all members of the international community.
 
Senator the Honourable Dennis Moses, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs signed the Paris Climate Agreement on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago and addressed other high ranking officials to reaffirm the commitment of Trinidad and Tobago to achieving the object and purpose of the Paris Agreement, and to take measures to address climate change for the well- being of present and future generations.
 
In his Statement to the Meeting, Minister Moses informed that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is currently finalizing its long term development policy VISION 2030, which proposes to align its domestic development plans, including addressing climate change, with the targets and goals of the Sustainable Development Goals and Trinidad and Tobago’s nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement.
 
In addition to signing the Paris Agreement, fifteen (15) countries also deposited their instruments of ratification indicating their countries’ readiness to implement the Agreement immediately. This number included Barbados, Belize, Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The Paris Agreement will not come into force until 55 countries representing 55% of total greenhouse gas emissions deposit their instruments of ratification.