France’s foreign minister has assured the world that the COP21 summit will continue as planned, but with boosted security, according to a news report by Ed King appearing on the Climate Change News website.
The website quotes the Minister Laurent Fabius as having responded thus, “It will be held with enhanced security measures but it is absolutely essential action against climate and of course it will be held,” when he was asked if the attack would pose any danger to the summit.
French capital, Paris, came under a heavy ISIS attack on Friday, Nov.
13, leaving at least 129 dead, and many others with serious injuries.
The attack came just 10 days after the U.S. embassy in in Paris had issued a security advisory ahead of the UN Conference on Climate change, advising its citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance during the conference.
Following the Friday evening attacks, the U.S. embassy urged its citizens in France to “heed local authorities and maintain security awareness.”
The assurance by the French government’s foreign minister comes amid fears by some civil society organizations that the Paris attack is going to adversely affect the long-awaited conference on climate change, during which a UN deal on how to deal with climate change is to be signed.
Chairperson of the National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organizations (NACDAOR) Ashok Bharti, in a message in solidarity with the people of France, via Action2015, observed that the attack in Paris could not be disconnected with the incoming mobilization of people from all over the world asking for climate justice in COP21.
“We believe this kind of attack has been inflicted to divert the attention of the people and the government from the epoch making COP21,” said Bharti as he expressed hope that, “France will not use this attack to prevent people from taking part and voicing their concerns during the COP21.”
At the same time Pakistan’s Chief Executive of the Development Alliance (PDA), Mohamed Zia-ur-Rehman, has condemned the attack.
He says, “We hope that this carnage by a handful of sick minded terrorists will not be able to undermine the strengths of peaceful people across the world, especially in France. We strongly hope that this would not restrict us and our leaders to move ahead with COP21.”
Stephen Cheboi of Action2015/Kenya added his voice to the swelling pool of condemnation to the act of terrorism in France which led to the loss of lives in Paris, warning that if left unchecked, terrorism is likely to slow down the world’s implementation of the 2030 development agenda. “We can not achieve our targets to end poverty, inequalities and climate change if allow terrorists to reign our world,” said Cheboi.
