Special Report: Fight against Global Warming

    BALI, Indonesia, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told a press conference here on Sunday that the "principle of common but differentiated responsibilities will play an important role at the Bali meeting.

    The U.N. official made the remarks while answering a question from Xinhua at a press conference ahead of the opening of the 13th session of the UNFCCC.

    He said many developing countries are just beginning to develop their economies and just beginning to eradicate poverty, hence these countries need room for economic growth.

    Developed nations should take the lead and take greater responsibility in emission reductions, he said.

    The principle of the "common but differentiated responsibilities" is the cornerstone of the UNFCCC and it will play an important role at the Bali meeting in negotiations, he said.

    A number of developing countries, including China and India, are saying that they are willing to act on the climate change issue, he said.

    Meanwhile, he said financial resources will have to be provided by the international community to help the developing nations in this regard.

    The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty produced atthe United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro on June 4, 1992. The treaty is aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gas in order to combat global warming.

    The treaty entered into force on March 21, 1994.

    Due to the fact that climate change is a common challenge of the international community but was mainly caused by the historical and current high per capita emissions of greenhouse gases of developed countries, the UNFCCC provided that the responsibility of developed countries and developing countries in addressing climate change was "common but differentiated."

    The 13th session of the UNFCCC will be held in Bali, a resort island of Indonesia, from Dec. 3 to 14. Over 180 countries, represented by some 10,000 delegates, will take part in the conference.

    The main purpose of the meeting is to begin negotiations for a new climate change regime to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.