This paper was prepared by the President-designate of the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth session and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol at its fourth session to assist ministers and other heads of delegation participating in the round table on shared vision for long-term cooperative action scheduled for 11 December 2008. The purpose of the document is to help frame the debate by proposing a number of issues on which discussion might focus with the objective of facilitating an optimal outcome of the first ministerial debate on a shared vision for long-term cooperative action. Issues proposed for discussion include the importance of and need for a comprehensive shared vision for long-term cooperative action vis-à-vis the challenges posed for mitigating and adapting to climate change and creating a suitable financial and technology support infrastructure to enable the necessary actions. As a guide to the discussions during the round table, ministers and other heads of delegation are presented herewith with questions which may assist them in focusing their interventions during the discussions and providing political impetus to the negotiations in 2009.