PARIS • French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that Paris will host a summit on Dec 12 to make further progress on the 2015 Paris climate agreement and to address its financing issues.

"On Dec 12, two years after the Paris (climate) agreement, I will therefore convene a summit to take further action on climate, notably on the financial front," Mr Macron told journalists. He said the summit would aim to mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to in the Paris agreement.

Mr Macron said he had not given up on United States President Donald Trump changing his mind on leaving the landmark accord. Saying that he "never gives up hope on convincing" others, the French leader added that "therefore I confirm that I hope to convince him".

The US was isolated at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, which ended yesterday with all 19 other members agreeing the accord on cutting emissions was "irreversible".

But, in their final statement, they also accommodated Washington's wish to "work closely with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently".

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE