UNFCCC, Paris Agreement to receive Asturias award in Spain

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Climate Change Agreement will on Friday October 21, 2016 receive the 2016 Princess of Austria Award for International Cooperation, at a solemn ceremony to be presided by Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Spain.

The UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, will accept the award on behalf of the UNFCCC, and she will be accompanied by her predecessor Christiana Figueres and the President of the Paris Climate Change Conference COP21 in 2015, Laurent Fabius. UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Richard Kinley and two representatives of the secretariat staff will also be part of the delegation to Oviedo, Spain.

The jury of the award described the Paris Agreement as a historic milestone that enshrines the world nations’ commitment to achieving a universal model for development gradually reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The jury highlighted “the importance of this Agreement in the context of international cooperation, as a project that looks to the future to help all countries move together toward a cleaner and more sustainable model”.

The Princess of Asturias Foundation has organized a complete programme of events for this 2016 Awards Week. Below are some of the most relevant events the UNFCCC delegation will participate in:

*   On Thursday, 20 October at 12 pm CEST, UNFCCC Executive Secretary will deliver a lecture entitled “The Paris Agreement, an Agenda for Transformation” at the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Oviedo.

*   On Friday, 21 October, at 10.30 CEST Patricia Espinosa, Christiana Figueres and Laurent Fabius will participate in a press conference with accredited international journalists. The press conference will be broadcast live on the Princess of Asturias Foundation website.

*   On Friday at 11 am CEST, the UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary will visit “Visual Arts”, an exhibition with a selection of works that primary, secondary and pre-university students have created using recycled materials to contribute to the sustainability of the planet.

*   On Friday at 18.30 CEST, the solemn awards ceremony will take place in the Oviedo’s Campoamor Theather. UNFCCC Executive Secretary will receive the award from the hands of His Majesty the King Felipe VI of Spain. Ms. Espinosa will pronounce a short acceptance speech. The ceremony will be aired live by the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE.