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World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
17 February 1997

FORMER GERMAN PRESIDENT TO SPEAK AT CONCLUSION OF WCC
CLIMATE CHANGE
PETITION CAMPAIGN: WCC GENERAL SECRETARY TO ADDRESS UN

The former President of Germany, Dr Richard von Weizsacker, will
be the keynote speaker at an official ceremony in Bonn on Sunday,
2 March, to mark the culmination of  the World Council of
Churches' (WCC) Climate Change Petition Campaign.

Leading UN representatives responsible for international
negotiations on climate change will be present at the ceremony
and formally receive the results of the WCC petition campaign.

The following morning,   Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, WCC General
Secretary, will address a UN conference on climate change which
will be held in Bonn during that week.  A press conference will
follow.

Launched in March 1996, the WCC petition campaign aims to
demonstrate public support for more determined measures to meet
the threat posed by climate change.  The petition urges
governments to honour commitments already made and to prepare now
the steps for further responsible reductions of CO2 emissions. 

WCC member churches and national councils of churches in 20
industrialised countries joined in the petition campaign. 
Methods used to promote the campaign ranged from the collection
of signatures to awareness-raising activities.  In most
countries, the results of the various campaigns are being
presented to national governments this month (February).

The petition enjoyed wide international support from churches
and environmental organisations plus a large number of Christian
World Communions (the Anglican Communion, the Disciples of
Christ, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the
Lutheran World Federation, the World Mennonite Conference, the
World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the YMCA and YWCA, the
International Society of Doctors for the Environment, the Green
Cross International and Friends of the Earth).

Details of the campaign results and the texts of the speeches by
Dr Richard von Weizsacker and Dr Konrad Raiser will be made
available at a later date.

Programme:
Sunday 2 March 1700hrs: Ceremony to present results of climate
change petition campaign to the UN.  Venue: Amos Comenius High
School, Behring Strasse, Bad Godesberg, near Bonn, just a few
blocks from the Stadthalle where the UN conference will be held. 
Event will include keynote speech by Richard von Weizsacker,
statement by WCC representative, testimonies by Jesse Mugambi
(Kenya) and Nafisa d'Souza (India) - members of WCC working
group on Climate Change,  plus presentation of the campaign
results to His Excellency Chem Chimutengwende,  President of the
Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention, 
Ambassador Raul Estrada, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Group on the
Berlin Mandate and Mr Michael Z Cutajar, Executive Secretary of
the UN Climate Change Secretariat.  A reception will follow.

Most international organisations supporting the campaign and
leaders of national campaigns will be represented on this
occasion.  Many congregations in Bonn have agreed to devote
their morning services to the theme of climate change.

Monday 3 March:  Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, WCC General Secretary,
addresses the Sixth Session of the Ad hoc Group on the Berlin
Mandate then at noon attends press conference with Dr Angelika
Zahrnt of BUND/Friends of the Earth and one of the WCC petition
campaign organisers.   Venue: Press Club, Bonn.

Further details from: Martin Robra +41.22.791.61.21; Lukas
Vischer +41.22.735.29.79
Or the Bonn coordinator, Ulrich Hack, +49.211.3610.267

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
330, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually
all Christian traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a
member church but works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest
governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every
seven years.  The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is headed by general
secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office
Tel:  (41.22) 791.61.52/51
Fax:  (41.22) 798 13 46
E-Mail: jwn@wcc-coe.org

P.O. Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2