The Secretary-General invited world leaders to a special event on 21 September to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“The next step in our collective journey to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future is to ensure the rapid entry into force of the Paris Agreement,” Ban said of the September event, which will be held as part of the annual high-level General Assembly meeting at UN Headquarters.

“Doing so will create incentives for early implementation of nationally determined contributions and build support within markets and societies for increased climate ambition.”

The Paris Agreement, adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this past December in Paris, calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.

The agreement will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification or acceptance with the Secretary-General.

Patricia Espinosa, the incoming Executive Secretary of UNFCC called the Agreement “a landmark and a milestone in our common pursuit of a safe and sustainable world.” But noted that “many more milestones need to be added over the months, years and decades to come in order to implement and to realize the full potential of the Paris agreement.”