New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US and foreign diplomats on Monday launched Climate Week NYC on the eve of a summit at the United Nations.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair and the head of The Climate Group, Steve Howard, as well as Denmark's Minister for the Environment Conni Hedegaard, were present at the brief ceremony. Representatives from China, India and the US also attended.

"The UN is grateful for your contributions," Ban said. "The aim of Tuesday's summit is for leaders to mobilize the political momentum that can accelerate the pace of negotiations and help strengthen the ambition of what is on offer."

More than 120 presidents and prime ministers are scheduled to meet in the UN General Assembly on Tuesday for a one-day debate on climate change. These dignitaries are likely to give "marching orders" to negotiators to complete the text for a new Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012. The protocol aims mostly at cutting down greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Climate Week NYC is set up in cooperation with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to raise awareness of the impact of changes in climate caused by human activities. Bloomberg has begun programmes to cut down carbon emissions from transportation as well as construction in the sprawling city of 8 million inhabitants.  dpa