U.S. President Barack Obama is launching a "Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate," with a meeting set in Washington in April followed by a summit in Italy in July, the White House said Saturday in a statement.
Leaders from 16 major economies have been invited to a " preparatory session" on April 27-28 in Washington, the statement said, adding that it "will facilitate a candid dialogue among key developed and developing countries, help generate the political leadership" for successful climate change negotiations in December in Copenhagen, Xihnua reported.
It said the meeting would spur dialogue among developed and developing countries about the issue, "and advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions."
The major economies include: Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and the United States.
Denmark, which will host a UN climate change meeting in December, and the United Nations were also invited.