By a decision of the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, the 52nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB52) was postponed to 2021. New dates are still unknown. The event will take place in Bonn, Germany.
The main tasks of the Bureau of Subsidiary Bodies are to provide advice, make recommendations on ongoing work under the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, organize their sessions and assist the UN Climate Secretariat.
The decision to postpone the meeting was made due to the global coronavirus pandemic. "Due to the global effects that COVID-19 continues to cause and to take note of the measures put in place by the German government, the COP Bureau decided to reschedule the UN Climate Change meetings of the Subsidiary Bodies. This is a necessary measure to protect all attending participants, delegates and observers. Meanwhile, we will continue accelerating and foster the climate action agenda. This includes a continued dialogue with countries to present enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions during this year 2020, as well as the formulation of a clear roadmap towards COP26," noted COP25 President Minister Carolina Schmidt from Chile.
However, this decision does not mean that there has been a pause in the fight against climate change. Even though we are forced to change the usual methods used in the current circumstances, it is necessary to continue taking collective actions both at the global, regional and national levels. Indeed, as UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa emphasized, climate change has been and continues to be the central "existential crisis for humanity."
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