According to Kutesa, during the event UN Member States will exchange views, share experiences and take stock of progress toward an agreement, with government ministers, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders all taking part.

Speaking at the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UNFCCC in Lima, Peru, in December 2014, Kutesa stressed that “The world is watching with anticipation and justified anxiety. We need to do whatever it takes to reach a binding and ambitious climate change agreement in December next year.” He added that “If we do more mitigation today, we can reduce the cost of adaptation tomorrow.”