Durban - UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and South African International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane received a petition against climate change and a book of postcards signed by children during a rally on Sunday.
The handing over of the petition and book at the Climate Change Concert & Rally at Durban's King Park had Figueres in tears.
The "We Have Faith" petition calls on world leaders to commit to a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement for a renewal of the Kyoto Protocol and for funding to help Africa adapt to climate change.
An emotional Figueres promised those attending the rally that their concerns would be heard during the UN meeting on climate change. "We are indebted to you and will take this energy into the negotiations."
She urged the crowd not to give up the fight and reassured them that whatever outcome emanates from Durban, it would no doubt be a big step forward.
Nkoana-Mashabane reiterated Figueres' promise by adding: "As the incoming president of COP17/CMP7, I make a commitment that your petition will be taken seriously and that it will receive the attention it deserves."
The minister said COP17, which officially starts today, could become a complicated issue should those tasked with negotiations not be able to reach out to each other and give each other the necessary reassurance that will also allow them to work together on the basis of trust.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, who hosted the rally, said climate change was a "huge, huge enemy" that threatened the common home of humanity and affected everyone.
Tutu went as far as likening climate change challenges to apartheid, saying mankind has to once again unite to take on another enemy.
"Now we are facing another huge, huge enemy. And no one, no country can fight that enemy on his own... an enemy called global warming, climate change," he said.
