Ms. Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Mexico's secretary of foreign affairs and the chair of COP16, spoke at UNU July fifth on Mexico's preparations for the COP16 climate summit to be held in Cancún later this year.

As the host country for the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mexico is determined to push for substantive agreements from all parties.

Ms. Espinosa's lecture followed Mexican president Felipe Calderón's February U Thant Distinguished Lecture at UNU Headquarters in which the president emphasized the need to rebuild confidence and trust following the disappointing COP 15 climate summit in Copenhagen last December.

In her lecture, Ms. Espinosa stressed the need for inclusive dialogue, especially with least developed countries, island states, and the private sector, as a key component in the quest for a binding agreement in Cancún.

Prior to her lecture, Ms. Espinosa met with UNU Rector Konrad Osterwalder to discuss the COP process and UNU's role.

unu.edu