Letter to Celebrities from Canada’s Minister of the Environment
October 31, 2005
The 11th Session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
From November 28 to December 9 of this year, the eyes of the world will be on Canada as our nation hosts the 11th Session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Montréal.
The UN Climate Change Conference – Montréal 2005 – will be attended by some 3,000 delegates from the 188 countries and European Commission which have signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including all 155 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Also attending will be 1,000 international media, plus over 6,000 accredited observers from industry, business, the scientific community, aboriginal and environmental organizations, youth, other levels of government and many other interested groups.
Montréal 2005 is important for much more than its size. It will be the first meeting of the countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol on climate change since the Protocol came into force in February of this year, and it marks the first time the United Nations Climate Change Conference has been held in North America.
The Montréal Conference also comes at a critical time for global cooperation in the battle against climate change. It took five years to achieve agreement on the Protocol, and another eight for it to come into force. Time is running out. It is essential that the nations of the world find common ground upon which to build coordinated, global action for the long term.
The Government of Canada believes Montréal 2005 offers an important opportunity to open a new chapter in the international dialogue on climate change, and to engage all nations in pursuing and enhancing their efforts to reduce GHG emissions.
To engage nations, we must engage citizens. The participants and organizers of Montréal 2005 are making a significant effort to bring the issue of climate change to the global public, in the hope that greater awareness of the urgent need for action will stimulate change. As part of this effort to raise awareness, a series of videotaped messages from international celebrities will be presented on several large screens throughout the conference venue, and distributed to the international media. The messages are also expected to be shown on relevant Web sites, including those of the Government of Canada, the United Nations, and environmental non-government organizations.
I very much hope that you will accept my invitation to be a part of this important initiative, as we seek a renewed global commitment to take action on climate change. Your influence as a role model and international celebrity will help to focus the world’s attention on what is, without doubt, the most critical environmental challenge we will face in the 21st century.
The United Nations and the Government of Canada are asking for your help to create a powerful voice for action on climate change. Please read the attached project outline, which explains the very simple requirement.
And thank you very much for your commitment to this issue and for your participation.
Sincerely,
Stephane Dion, P.C., M.P.,
Minister of the Environment, Government of Canada