A record number of more than 130 countries will sign the landmark agreement to tackle climate change at a ceremony at UN headquarters on 22 April, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Secretary general Ban Ki-moon is hosting the signing ceremony on the first day that the agreement reached in Paris in December opens for signature.

The UN chief, French President Francois Hollande, and environment minister Segolene Royal, who is in charge of global climate negotiations, have invited leaders from all 193 UN member states to the event.