PM stresses 'distinct' climate fund | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com
PM stresses 'distinct' climate fund
Sat, Nov 28th, 2009 11:30 pm BdST
Dhaka, Nov 28 (bdnews24.com) ・Bangladesh has stressed that assistance for vulnerable countries to face global warming must be distinct from development aid, as world leaders backed a multi billion-dollar climate fund for poor nations at a Commonwealth summit in Trinidad on Friday.
British prime minister Gordon Brown and French president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a global climate fund that would quickly channel money to poor states to help them counter the effects of climate change.
The proposal came at the 53-nation Commonwealth meeting in Port of Spain, the last major world forum before the Copenhagen climate conference in December.
It's a move that Bangladesh, as one of the most vulnerable countries and the most vocal in pushing for such a fund, will welcome.
Almost half the Commonwealth members are island states like the Maldives or low-lying nations like Bangladesh, threatened by rising sea levels.
But Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised the need for climate funds to be separate from Official Development Assistance (ODA), while addressing the executive and retreat sessions after the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth meeting on Friday.
Sheikh Hasina attended the 60th anniversary Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as the only female head of government.
In her speech at the executive and retreat sessions, she reminded the world leaders about the disastrous impacts of global warming on Bangladesh and other Most Vulerable Countries (MVCs) through no fault of their own.
The prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed newsmen after the meeting.
"Our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is negligible, but the fact is that we are the worst sufferers of the global warming," Hasina said.
Assistance must come from rich nations for overcoming the challenges of the global warming, she said.
Hasina said it would be very difficult to attain global food security unless populations and economies are protected from the adverse impacts of the climate change.
"Climate change is affecting agriculture, food production and thus affecting the initiatives for attaining food security," she said.
She also laid emphasis on mitigation for safeguarding the existence of the world as we know it. She called for transfer of environment-friendly technologies from developed nations to developing countries in a bid to protect the environment of these countries from pollution and consequences of global warming.
She categorically stressed all financial assistance for MVCs must be distinct from existing and future ODA.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina attended the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth summit with other heads of state and government.
MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR COPENHAGEN
Non-Commonwealth leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy, also attended the summit on Friday as special guests to lobby for international consensus on a climate pact ahead of Copenhagen.
Rasmussen and Ban welcomed the proposal by Gordon Brown for the creation of a $10 billion-a-year fund to help developing countries battle the effects of global warming. Brown said such financing should be made available as early as next year, well before any new climate deal takes effect.
"We face a climate emergency: we cannot wait until 2013 to begin taking action," Brown said.
Sarkozy, who called for an "ambitious global accord" on climate, also made a similar proposal for a fund that would quickly channel money to poor states to help them counter global warming and adapt their development models to requirements to reduce carbon pollution.
Rasmussen told a news conference later, "The need for money on the table -- that is what we want to achieve in Copenhagen."
He termed the climate fund proposal a "Copenhagen launch fund" that will help poor states to counter global warming and adapt their development models to requirements to reduce carbon pollution.
Ban said: "Our common goal is to achieve a firm foundation for a legally binding climate treaty as early as possible in 2010. I am confident that we are on track to do this."
"Each week brings new commitments and pledges -- from industrialised countries, emerging economies and developing countries alike," he added.
"An agreement is within reach ... We must seal a deal in Copenhagen," Ban said.
Rasmussen said Denmark had received an "overwhelmingly positive" response to its invitation to world leaders to attend the talks next months. "More than 85 heads of state and government have told us they are coming to Copenhagen, and many are still positively considering," he said.
He urged major developed countries to deliver firm commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to "put figures on the table" for "up-front" financing to help poor nations combat climate change.
PM stresses 'distinct' climate fund
Sat, Nov 28th, 2009 11:30 pm BdST
Dhaka, Nov 28 (bdnews24.com) ・Bangladesh has stressed that assistance for vulnerable countries to face global warming must be distinct from development aid, as world leaders backed a multi billion-dollar climate fund for poor nations at a Commonwealth summit in Trinidad on Friday.
British prime minister Gordon Brown and French president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a global climate fund that would quickly channel money to poor states to help them counter the effects of climate change.
The proposal came at the 53-nation Commonwealth meeting in Port of Spain, the last major world forum before the Copenhagen climate conference in December.
It's a move that Bangladesh, as one of the most vulnerable countries and the most vocal in pushing for such a fund, will welcome.
Almost half the Commonwealth members are island states like the Maldives or low-lying nations like Bangladesh, threatened by rising sea levels.
But Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised the need for climate funds to be separate from Official Development Assistance (ODA), while addressing the executive and retreat sessions after the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth meeting on Friday.
Sheikh Hasina attended the 60th anniversary Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) as the only female head of government.
In her speech at the executive and retreat sessions, she reminded the world leaders about the disastrous impacts of global warming on Bangladesh and other Most Vulerable Countries (MVCs) through no fault of their own.
The prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed newsmen after the meeting.
"Our contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is negligible, but the fact is that we are the worst sufferers of the global warming," Hasina said.
Assistance must come from rich nations for overcoming the challenges of the global warming, she said.
Hasina said it would be very difficult to attain global food security unless populations and economies are protected from the adverse impacts of the climate change.
"Climate change is affecting agriculture, food production and thus affecting the initiatives for attaining food security," she said.
She also laid emphasis on mitigation for safeguarding the existence of the world as we know it. She called for transfer of environment-friendly technologies from developed nations to developing countries in a bid to protect the environment of these countries from pollution and consequences of global warming.
She categorically stressed all financial assistance for MVCs must be distinct from existing and future ODA.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina attended the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth summit with other heads of state and government.
MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR COPENHAGEN
Non-Commonwealth leaders, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy, also attended the summit on Friday as special guests to lobby for international consensus on a climate pact ahead of Copenhagen.
Rasmussen and Ban welcomed the proposal by Gordon Brown for the creation of a $10 billion-a-year fund to help developing countries battle the effects of global warming. Brown said such financing should be made available as early as next year, well before any new climate deal takes effect.
"We face a climate emergency: we cannot wait until 2013 to begin taking action," Brown said.
Sarkozy, who called for an "ambitious global accord" on climate, also made a similar proposal for a fund that would quickly channel money to poor states to help them counter global warming and adapt their development models to requirements to reduce carbon pollution.
Rasmussen told a news conference later, "The need for money on the table -- that is what we want to achieve in Copenhagen."
He termed the climate fund proposal a "Copenhagen launch fund" that will help poor states to counter global warming and adapt their development models to requirements to reduce carbon pollution.
Ban said: "Our common goal is to achieve a firm foundation for a legally binding climate treaty as early as possible in 2010. I am confident that we are on track to do this."
"Each week brings new commitments and pledges -- from industrialised countries, emerging economies and developing countries alike," he added.
"An agreement is within reach ... We must seal a deal in Copenhagen," Ban said.
Rasmussen said Denmark had received an "overwhelmingly positive" response to its invitation to world leaders to attend the talks next months. "More than 85 heads of state and government have told us they are coming to Copenhagen, and many are still positively considering," he said.
He urged major developed countries to deliver firm commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to "put figures on the table" for "up-front" financing to help poor nations combat climate change.
