Global Climate Change, Natural Hazards, and the Environment:an Overview of UNESCO's Activities

Under United Nations (UN) leadership, global climate change has been placed at the top of the international community's agenda and, to every possible extent, mainstreamed in the departments, funds, and programmes of the UN and its specialized agencies. At the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bali, Indonesia, 12 December 2007, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon stated: "The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)2 tells us that, unless we act, there will be serious consequences: rising sea levels, more frequent and less predictable floods and severe droughts, famine around the world, particularly in Africa and Central Asia, and the loss of up to a third of our plant and animal species."