Three months after the failed Copenhagen summit on climate change, nations will pick up the threads at a three-day UN conference in Bonn in Germany beginning Friday, hoping to reach an agreement that can be adopted in Mexico in December.
But the April meeting under the aegis of the UN is actually meant for preparing the grounds for a more substantial ministerial conference to be held in Petersberg – a city near Bonn – from May 2 to 4, when key issues related to finance and technology would be discussed in detail. Environment ministers from more than 45 countries including Jairam Ramesh will attend the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which may set the ball rolling on negotiations.
Most of these 45 ministers are from rich and influential nations and emerging influential groups like BASIC that comprises Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
The outcome of Petersberg dialogue would subsequently be taken to the UN negotiation process.
Before attending the Petersberg dialogue, Ramesh would be flying to Cape Town to attend a core meeting of the BASIC on April 25-26 for preparing an unified strategy for the Petersberg round. The first post-Copenhagen BASIC meeting took place in Delhi in January.
