Qatar To Host COP18

By Chris Bathembu

Qatar is to host the 18th Conference of Parties on climate change (COP18), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after both Qatar and South Korea led the bids to host the climate conference but in the end Qatar won the rights, said UNFCCC executive secretary Christiana Figueres.

She thanked both countries for showing interest in hosting the event. She said the fact that for the first time two countries had offered to host the COP was a “sign of the trust that the parties had on the UN system”.

“We are very grateful to both countries for having come out to offer to host this event for us, it comes to show the trust they have in us,” Figueres said. The key ministerial session that precedes COP18 will be held in South Korea.

The UN uses a rotational system in awarding the rights to host the Conference of Parties on climate change and next it will be the chance for Asian region to host the event.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and COP17 President said South Africa will be willing to work with Qatar in ensuring that the lessons learnt in Durban were transferred to ensure the success of the talks next year.

“I would like to thank both Qatar and South Korea for having worked together in deciding who should host in the end, we are grateful to both countries,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.

Qatar, also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qa?ar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula.