DURBAN—Over the next two weeks, attention will be focused on South Africa as world leaders and government negotiators, including a delegation from the Philippines, meet for the United Nations climate-change summit in this city.

Thousands of police and volunteers have been deployed around the city to provide security and assist more than 10,000 delegates from 194 nations who will try to strike a binding global agreement to combat climate change.

Hundreds of side events and activities prepared by various UN agencies, multinational bodies, civil-society groups, businesses and the media started on Monday with discussions on issues such as financing, climate-change adaptation and mitigation, technology transfer, indigenous peoples and migration.

Delegates here hold out little hope for a legally binding agreement but there remains a promise for the finalization of details for the establishment of a Green Climate Fund that is expected to begin operations by next year.

The fund, which was agreed upon in principle at last year’s climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, aims to raise an estimated $100 billion per year by 2020 to aid developing countries to fund the adoption of capacity-building measures and policies to combat the effects of climate change.

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), emphasized the need for increased action, specifically on the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 agreement on climate change, which is due to expire at the end of next year.

“This is not just about environment agreement or trade agreement but a foundation of revolution in every sense of the word,” Figueres said at a press conference. “Governments need to resolve the immediate future of the Kyoto Protocol, define the longer path toward a global, binding agreement, launch the agreed institutional network to support developing countries in their response to the climate challenge, and set out a path to deliver the long-term funding that will pay for that.”

The opening of the conference was attended by South African President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, officers, delegates, civil-society groups and the media from various nations. The delegates were welcomed with a cheerful, colorful and vibrant African dance, a boost to the optimistic outcome of the climate summit.

Earlier, the head of the Philippine negotiators, Secretary Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission, said she remains hopeful progress will emerge during the two-week climate talks.

“We cannot afford to fail in the Durban climate talks, especially on the issue of financing. We are bringing with us in the conference the recently approved National Climate Change Action Plan so we can swiftly address climate-adaptation initiatives planned for the country,” Sering said. The action plan would outline the Philippines agenda for climate-change adaptation and mitigation measures for 2011 to 2028.

Earlier this month, the International Energy Agency warned that the world was just five years away from irreversible climate change.

At the start of the Durban climate talks, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Michel Jarraud called for urgent action to limit greenhouse-gas emissions.

“Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse-gas emissions today, they would continue to linger in the atmosphere for decades to come and continue to affect the delicate balance of our living planet and our climate,” Jarraud said.

Jarraud’s sentiment was echoed by Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth.

Atkins said: “The world must wake up to the enormous threat we all face and agree on tough international action in the climate talks.”

Antonio La Vina, who has been facilitating the negotiations at the UN climate talks on the issue of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), remains optimistic negotiators will be able to find adequate solution for REDD+ finance.

The United Nations earlier estimated that $17 billion to $40 billion would be needed annually to halve emissions from the forestry sector.

Besides world leaders and negotiators, expected to arrive next week during the high-level meetings are World Bank President Robert Zoellick, former US Vice President Al Gore, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneger, businessman Richard Branson, CNN founder Ted Turner, actor Leonardo di Caprio, U2 frontman Bono, actress Angelina Jolie and other celebrities.