The Paris Agreement is an accord signed in 2016 within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which tackles greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance.
The content was negotiated by representatives of 196 state parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Le Bourget, France, and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015.
Lebanon’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, headed by H.E. Dr. Amal Mudallali, announced on February 5th, 2020, that Lebanon has officially become a party to the Paris Agreement; according to The Daily Star.
In an official tweet, the Permanent Mission announced: “Lebanon formally becomes party to the Paris Agreement and remains committed to strengthening the global response to address.”
As of November 2019, all UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, 188 have become party to it, and the only significant emitters that are not parties are Iran and Turkey.
Among other things, The Paris Agreement aims to increase the ability of parties to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and make “finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.”
Under the Paris Agreement, each country must determine, plan, and regularly report on the contribution that it undertakes to mitigate global warming.
However, similar to other UN instruments, no mechanism “forces” a country to set a specific emissions target by a specific date.
Each target, however, must go beyond previously set targets. In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump controversially announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the agreement.
H.E. Dr. Amal Mudallali has been serving as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations since January 2018.
Prior to her appointment, she was based in Washington DC, as the principal advisor on American Affairs to Prime Minister Saad Hariri. She also followed United Nations issues, including the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
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