The difference between GEF and Geoff (COP 14)

03 Dec 2008 – Geoff Lye

I generally avoid the main plenary sessions which are simply a stream of timed speeches by the country representatives. But I also feel an obligation to sit in and get a sense of where the mood of the meeting is going. Given the brilliant wireless broadband coverage, I and most of the others in the hall are logged on and doing real work and it is easy to get absorbed in our laptop worlds. But the UN has created a central fund – the Global Environment Facility – which has a key role to play in addressing climate change. Unfortunately, in this UN world of acronyms, GEF is pronounced identically to Geoff. Anyone filming me with my translation headphones on would spot the occasional head-jerk reaction as I hear my name called out by governments around the world. I have a meeting with the COP President in the morning and I am toying with the idea of asking him to request a change of title to Joint Investment Monies. His limited English may let the acronym slip unnoticed into the UN vocabulary – and I will be able to get on with my daily work undisturbed. Sorry, COP-attending Jims!

STOP PRESS 1: Talking to the head of the US Press Corp yesterday, I was given a card with the email address for any enquiries of the State Department: I have just noticed that it is uspresscop14@yahoo.com. Any chance that their spam box is fuller than mine? I feel slightly guilty when I use my AOL account for professional email and definitely leave Yahoo to my children. How did I get it so wrong?

STOP PRESS 2: For avid followers of Non-Annex 1 Communications (you should be, according to Yvo de Boer on Monday) there is a new document released: FCCC/SBI/2007/10/Add.1,FCCC/SBI/2007/MISC.7,Adds.1-2, FCCC/CP/CP2008/2. That should do the trick for the sleep deprived. And I thought my filenames were complicated…