On 22 April 2016, a day-long celebration will mark the opening for signature of the Paris Agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The Agreement will then be open for signature in New York, US, until 17 April 2017. Countries will also need to adopt the agreement within their own legal systems, through ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.
The Paris Agreement will enter into force when joined by at least 55 countries accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of total global greenhouse gas emissions.
An information note on the entry into force of the Paris Agreement is available here.
More than 160 countries have expressed their intention to sign the agreement, designed to put the world on course for strong and decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rapidly and help all nations build a truly sustainable future for their citizens.
All events will be webcast live and on demand.

Opening Ceremony
Events will start at 8.30 am with an opening ceremony in the UN General Assembly Hall. The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon will open and close the ceremony. There will be also remarks by a youth leader, a group of invited member states, a leader from civil society and the private sector and a UN “messenger of peace”. During the ceremony, which will include the presence of children from around the world, there will also be a video projection and a live music performance by the Julliard School quintet.
See the programme of the opening ceremony.

Signing Ceremony and National Statements
The Signing Ceremony will take place from 9.50 am to 1 pm when the Paris Agreement will be officially signed by over hundred representatives of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In parallel to the signature, country representatives will give national statements.

High Level Luncheon
From 1.15 pm to 2.45 pm, UN chief Ban Ki-moon will host a high-level luncheon (see detailed programme) with representatives from governments, business, civil society and the UN to underline the critical importance of climate action by non-Party stakeholders.
French President Francois Hollande and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will give opening remarks, followed by remarks from New York Mayor Bill De Blasio and former US vice-president Al Gore, among others.

High-Level Event on Climate Implementation
A High-Level Event on Climate Implementation will take place in the afternoon from 3.15 pm to 6 pm. Under the title “Taking Climate Action to the Next Level – Realizing the Vision of the Paris Agreement”, the event will be moderated by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and COP21 President Segolene Royal.
See the detailed programme including the list of speakers.

Closing Ceremony
From 6 pm to 6.30 pm, a closing ceremony will wrap up the day, with statements by the UN Secretary General and the Presidents of COP21 and COP22 (to be held in Marrakech, Morocco).

To learn more about the Paris Agreement signing ceremony visit this page.

All events will be streamed live on the United Nations Web TV.

Follow the live events on Twitter at at @UN and @UNFCCC and join the conversation using the hashtag #ParisAgreement.