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Franz Perrez, Switzerland's environmental ambassador, in conversation with myclimate

Directly before the start of COP25 in Madrid, myclimate was able to welcome a real insider to the second myclimate "Cloud Apéro" in 2019. Franz Perrez, the head of the Swiss COP delegation made detailed statements at the myclimate event on the goals of the conference and the Swiss contribution towards these. The full discussion is available to listen to online.

On Tuesday 12 November myclimate welcomed Franz Perrez as a guest at the myclimate Cloud Apéro "A New Era: Switzerland and International Climate Diplomacy". Franz Perrez is head of the "International" department at the Federal Office of Environment, Forests and Landscape (FOEN) and holds the office of the Swiss Environmental Ambassador. Perrez is a representative of Switzerland's international environmental policy and leads the Swiss delegation in international discussions on the climate and the environment. He was given the title of ambassador by the Federal Council in 2010. Franz Perrez trained as a lawyer and before his current role held various leading positions at SECO and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). In addition, he holds a lectureship at the Institute of European and International Economic Law at the University of Bern.

 

Listen to the whole conversation with Franz Perrez as a podcast

 

Switzerland at the COP25 and international climate diplomacy 

Franz Perrez started by talking about his personal journey before the discussion turned to the upcoming climate conference in Madrid. There Franz Perrez will lead a ten-person Swiss delegation. One of the main tasks of the COP in Madrid will be to establish rules for robust and effective market mechanisms.” said Franz Perrez, in answer to the question of what the COP25 should deliver. Similarly, Perrez confirmed that discussions on the topic "Loss and Damage" will have a prominent place on the agenda.

Franz Perrez pointed out that Switzerland not only has a strong interest in but also a palpable influence on the progression and results of international climate policy and climate conferences: “If we had no influence, we would not attend. The process is important for us in Switzerland. We are not getting involved on the back of some 'lofty altruism', but because climate change will have a significant impact on us in Switzerland too. It is very much in our interest that this situation is brought under control. If you look at the Paris Agreement, there are many areas, which were written and/or significantly shaped by Switzerland.”

Franz Perrez went on to name what he considers the biggest challenge before the entry into force of the Paris Agreement: “We have made huge progress as far as the implementation of the Paris Climate Treaty is concerned. There is just one large gap, namely Article 6, market mechanisms, for which there are no rules for implementation”. The motivation behind and direction of these negotiations from the Swiss perspective was described by Franz Perrez in discussion with Kai Landwehr, Head of Marketing at myclimate, in addition to the questions on the future of voluntary carbon offsetting, the interplay of diplomacy, politics, the economy and society as a whole, as well as on international conflict situations with their various interests, blocks and alliances.

 

myclimate Cloud Apéros

After myclimate 2018 gave a platform to "pioneers of change", the myclimate "Cloud Apéros" attempt to cast a more precise look on this change, both in the near and more distant future. The series "A New Era" began with a discussion with the futurist Christopher Patrick Peterka on the topics of "sustainability and digitalisation".

The next myclimate Cloud Apéro will take place early in the new year. Internationally sought-after speaker and expert Marc Buckley, UN SDG Advocate and UN Resilience Futurist, will be a guest at the myclimate "Cloud Lounge" on 21 January in Pfingstweidstrasse. The topic of the discussion will be "The Global Agricultural Challenge".

Interested in taking part? Register for one of a limited number of places.

Stay informed!