There is a flurry of activity today. I just wanted to flag a couple of press releases.  The first is from the UN Foundation, highlighting a new film series, "See You in Copenhagen" (As regular readers know, UN Dispatch enjoys the sponsorship of the UN Foundation)

“See You in Copenhagen,” a short-film series highlighting the need for strong and immediate action on climate change. The first installment in the series was broadcast at the beginning of the Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony, where United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Danish Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard, actor Hugh Jackman and others addressed the urgent need to reach a new global agreement to combat climate change. The films, supported by the UN Foundation and the Global Campaign for Climate Action, were produced and directed by Gabriel London of Found Object Films. They are designed to raise public awareness and support civic engagement in advance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark this December.

Here is the trailer:

See You in Copenhagen_ Copenhagen Is... from See You in Copenhagen on Vimeo.

Speaking of Copenhagen, below the fold is the full text of a release from the UN spelling out what to expect from the High Level Event on Climate Change tomorrow.  Below the fold.  

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UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 21 September— Nearly 100 world leaders have accepted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s invitation to participate an historic Summit on Climate Change to mobilize political will and strengthen momentum for a fair, effective, and ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen.

According to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the purpose of the Summit is to focus minds and generate urgent action at the highest levels. “This year at we have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent climate change from slipping out of control and to jumpstart the transformation to a safer, cleaner, more prosperous green economy that benefits all,” he said.

Head of State leadership from all countries – industrialized nations, newly emerging economies, and developing nations on the front lines of climate change impacts - is crucial to realizing this achievement.

The Summit will mark the first UN visit for the Presidents of China and the United States as well as the newly elected Prime Minister of Japan.

World leaders who will address the opening session following the Secretary-General include Barack Obama, President of the United States of America; Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Republic of Maldives; Hu Jintao, President of the Peoples Republic of China; Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of Sweden; Óscar Arias Sánchez, President of Costa Rica; and Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France.

Climate change cuts across all issues – from energy and food security to trade, finance, and international security. Its effects will fundamentally shape the economic growth, development, and security of every country in the world. It requires strategic focus at the highest political level.

The Summit will provide this opportunity by mobilizing the political momentum needed to help the world cross over the finish line in Copenhagen, where representatives from 193 Parties to the Convention will gather in December to negotiate a climate agreement for the post-2012 period.

“I hope world leaders will leave the Summit ready to give their negotiating teams the green light and specific guidance needed to accelerate progress on the road to Copenhagen,” said the Secretary-General. “The clock is ticking. I hope they will publicly commit to sealing a deal in Copenhagen,” he said.

Negotiations on an agreement at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December have made some progress, but require immediate political impetus if the world is seal a global climate deal this year.

“Through direct dialogue with their fellow world leaders, we hope Summit participants will come to grips with the urgent need for action, as well as the benefits of transforming their economies along a cleaner energy, low-emissions pathway,” said the Secretary-General.

While not a negotiating session, the Summit will seek to find a common understanding among the leaders on a path forward. This understanding will be captured in a Chairman’s Summary presented by the Secretary-General at the conclusion of the Summit.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who is Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will present the scientific basis for action. Professor Wangari Maathai, recognized for her tree planting and environmental efforts among the poorest communities, will speak for civil society.

Former US Vice President Al Gore, who was a co-winner of the Nobel Prize with the IPCC, will address the UN Leadership Forum Luncheon. This Forum marks the first time that world leaders and leaders from the business, investor, and civil society communities will meet on such a large scale at the UN.

Opening the Summit will be the two-time Academy Award Nominee Djimon Honsou, who will recite a portion of a speech known as the “Pale Blue Dot” written by the late astronomer Carl Sagan. This will be followed by a film written and narrated children from around the world who will be facing the effects of climate change caused by the present generation.

The Summit will depart from traditional practice in favor of more time spent in direct discussions between world leaders. Following the public opening session, Heads of State and Government will meet in smaller roundtable discussions. There will be eight closed roundtables throughout the day, each co-chaired by a Head of State or Government from a developing and developed country. Statements from national leaders will be available online at the Summit website (www.un.org/climatechange/2009summit).

The United Nations will offset participants’ travel by purchasing carbon emission credits from the Clean Development Mechanism, an innovative tool that directs investment in clean technologies to developing countries. The Summit's emissions will be offset by investments in a project in a poor semi-arid region in Kolar District, Karnataka State, India, seeking to reduce deforestation and provide clean energy for cooking.

Hugo Chavez was so 2006.  This year, expect Libyan president Col. Muammar Gaddafi to suck up media attention during the UN summit later this month. 

This will be the first time that Gaddafi has attended the annual UN summit since taking over in a coup forty years ago. But before even setting foot in Turtle Bay, he's already generated a ton of controversy. 

Last month, he gave a hero's welcome to a convicted Lockerbie bomber who was repatriated to Libya, something which Susan Rice said "offended virtually every American."  Then, he planned on pitching a Bedouin style tent on property owned by the Libyan government in Englewood, New Jersey. This was met with widespread condemnation from municipal leaders, who found a pretext to revoke a permit for the tent site.  

There are also rumors afoot that Gaddafi will take his longstanding fued with Switzerland to the floor of the General Assembly and call for a nonsensical resolution to  abolish the country. (Swiss authorities arrested his son and daughter in-law last year for apparently beating up two servants in a Geneva hotel. Tripoli retaliated in a number of ways, including preventing two Swiss businessmen from leaving Libya until the Swiss apologized.) 

So what do to about this?  Noted international relations scholar Ted Nugent thinks that the United States should simply bar Gaddafi from setting foot in the country.  I'm not quite sure what good that would do. There is no real danger the United States in letting Gaddafi attend the UN summit.  Also, revoking his visa would set an unfortunate precedent that attending a UN summit is a reward to be bestowed or revoked by one head of state to another. 

There are, in fact, perfectly legitimate reasons for the Libyan head of state to attend the New York summit.  Libya happens to be on the Security Council at the moment. This means that there is a good chance that Gaddafi will attend a Council meeting on non-proliferation chaired by President Obama.  Before you scoff, consider that despite his other flaws, Gaddafi really is a de-proliferator.  Libya once had a nuclear program, but gave it up in 2003 amidst international pressure.  This kind of behavior should be encouraged if the international community is to coax Iran back from the nuclear brink. 

While Gadafi's antics in the run up to the summit may offend, it's arguably more harmful to American interests to prevent him from attending the meeting than letting him inside the proverbial tent.