The Global Humanitarian Forum will bring together luminaries from the worlds of politics, business, diplomacy and development to discuss how best to adapt to climate change -- the issue that Annan has called "one of the most significant humanitarian challenges of our time."

Among the attendees are business mogul Richard Branson, former UN rights chief and Irish president Mary Robinson, economist Jeffrey Sachs and the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger.

Annan is keen to stress the "human face" of climate change, in particular in vulnerable developing countries such as the Maldive Islands in the Indian Ocean.

"The world's poorest and most vulnerable people, who are least responsible for climate change, find themselves suffering the brunt of its consequences, that is, they are the victims of increasingly violent storms, drought and floods," the former UN chief said.

The Forum has been set up with Swiss government funding and aims to plug a gap in international disaster relief and prevention by bringing together governments, aid agencies, the military, the business world and academics.

"We have simple objectives," said Walter Fust, the former head of the Swiss development agency who is now the Forum's chief executive.

"The first one is to put climate justice high on the political agenda, and to discuss how we can keep it high on the political agenda," he told journalists.

"The second objective is to build a stronger multi-stakeholder community to support adaptation to climate change. The third objective is to carry the discussion further, how to set the incentives right to further involve the private economy," Fust added.

Central to the Forum's philosophy is the idea that "the polluter pays," which essentially means the developed, industrialised countries of the West must help poorer states cope with the impact of global warming.

"The major polluters come from the advanced developed countries, notably the United States, and it is only fair that the polluters should pay for the damage they cause," Fust said.

The Forum holds its meeting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva from June 24-25.

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