COP15 delegates more than satisfied

COP15 drew world leaders from 126 countries with more than 22,000 badges being handed out in total. Despite the size of the convention, a survey carried out among participants shows that the overall satisfaction rating was 3.7 on a scale of 1-to-5.

The UN Convention on Climate Change, COP 15, held in Copenhagen in December, was the largest international political summit ever staged outside New York.

To monitor the satisfaction of those taking part, participants from close to 100 different countries - including delegates, press and NGOs - were asked to rate their impressions of Copenhagen's hotels; the public transport system; the Bella Center; and the greening of the convention.
The result was an overall satisfaction rating of 3.7, with the top score being awarded to the public transport system, which scored 4.7.

"Inside, the execution of the summit conference has been a fantastic experience. Servicing between eleven- and fifteen thousand guests around the clock has been an enormous task and I am really proud that we and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been able to deliver. It has earned us a great deal of respect internationally," says Arne Bang Mikkelsen, managing director of the convention venue, Bella Center.

UN responsible for logistical challenges
The UN accredited more than 45,000 delegates, NGOs and reporters, and handed out more than 22,000 badges plus 8,000 for staff.

With the decision to allow 15,000 participants access to the venue, combined with the enormous interest from outside, the system unfortunately broke down resulting in queues outside Bella Center which were far too long.

On behalf of the UN, Yvo de Boer, head of the UNFCCC, has apologized for this and has accepted full responsibility. See his full and frank statement on the BBC.

The results of the survey:

A satisfaction scale in which 1 is 'very dissatisfied', and 5 is 'very satisfied' has been used. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deloitte carried out the survey.

Image Yvo De Boer: Source: UNFCCC