Climate Change
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio Attends the COP26 Summit Meeting
Prime Minister Kishida delivering a speech at COP26 World Leaders Summit 1
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
Prime Minister Kishida delivering a speech at COP26 World Leaders Summit 2
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
On November 2, Prime Minister Kishida attended the World Leaders Summit, which is a summit-level meeting of the COP26 (26th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change) at Glasgow, United Kingdom. The overview is as follows.
(This Leaders Summit is the first summit-level meeting after the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015.)
Prime Minister Kishida, while attending the COP26, held summit meetings with U.S., UK, Australia, Viet Nam, and met with United Nations Secretary-General Guterres. Furthermore, Prime Minister Kishida held pull aside talks with Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister of Canada, President of the European Commission, President of Mongolia, President of Sri Lanka, President of Kyrgyz, President of Ecuador, Prime Minister of Kuwait, Prime Minister of Iceland, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and others.
- Prime Minister Kishida attended the World Leaders Summit, which was hosted by United Kingdom, the chair country of the COP26. At the Summit, more than 130 countries made a statement and expressed each country’s efforts towards promoting global climate change measures.
- Prime Minister stated his own determination that Japan will be working in full force to take on climate change, a common challenge of humankind. In addition, in order to lead the initiative in fulfilling the goal of climate finance that developed countries are collectively committed to the 100 billion USD per year, he announced four new commitments below.
- (1) Developing leading projects worth 100 million USD to transform fossil-fuel-fired thermal power into zero-emission thermal power, mainly in Asia, through the Asia Energy Transition Initiative, maximizing the introduction of renewable energy.
- (2) Providing up to 10 billion USD in the coming five years, which would include our contribution to the launch of Innovative Financial Facility for Climate as we partner with the Asian Development Bank and others to support the decarbonization of Asia and beyond, in addition to Japan’s contribution to provide support worth 60 billion USD that Japan announced last June, in order to lead the initiative in fulfilling the financial goal of climate finance that developed countries are collectively committed to the 100 billion USD per year.
- (3) Doubling Japan’s assistance for adaptation to climate change (Note) to approximately 14.8 billion USD, both in public and private finance, in the five years to 2025.
- (4) Providing financial assistance worth approximately 240 million USD for the forest sector.
(Note) To prevent and mitigate damages caused by climate change for countries vulnerable to its effects including disaster risk reduction etc.
- Furthermore, Prime Minister Kishida attended a summit-level event on Infrastructure Development and Climate Change, which was hosted by the US President Biden, and the President of the European Commission Von Der Leyen. To build back better from the pandemic, Prime Minister Kishida stated that we need to cooperate each other toward expanding high-standard infrastructure investment which was confirmed at G20, while taking into account the impact on the climate, and expressed our welcome for the concept which was set out in this meeting. In addition, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan gives greater importance to (1) Consideration for the environment including climate change and resilience; (2) Providing development finance in accordance with the international rules and standards; and (3) Addressing financial needs of developing countries for the COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan, and will lead the way in the international community’s efforts with a view to building back better.
- In addition, Prime Minister Kishida visited the Japan’s Pavilion in the COP26, and received explanations from Japanese corporate officials and others about the exhibition of decarbonization technologies and initiatives that supports the realization of Japan’s long-term goal of “carbon neutrality by 2050” and the decarbonization of the world.
