PM urges UN, dev world to give MVCs, LDCs spl share of climate funding
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Rome, Nov 17 (UNB): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the United Nations (UN) and the advanced developed countries to give the most vulnerable countries (MVCs) and least developed countries (LDCs) special shares of the funds for tackling the challenges of global climate change.
"There should be a separate adaptation and mitigation fund for MVCs and LDCs to face the consequences of climate change," she said while addressing a joint working dinner with 10 heads of government and state in the Italian capital Monday night on the sidelines of the World Summit on Food Security.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Italian Foreign Minister Frattini jointly hosted the dinner.
"MVCs and LDCs do not want to be put in the same group with developing countries, including the advanced developing ones, when considering financial benefits. MVCs and LDCs should be given priority and kept as a separate group and there should be a separate adaptation and mitigation fund for them," said the Prime Minister.
She also said the climate funds should not be loans but grants, with no string of conditions binding their use for the climate victims.
"Such funds must be additional and distinct from ODA targets of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for developing countries and 0.2 per cent for LDCs as affirmed by the Brussels programme of action," said Hasina.
The PM, who arrived here on November 15 to attend the three-day World Summit on Food Security that began Monday, categorically said that MVCs and LDCs did not want adaptation, mitigation, and technology transfer support to be in one basket.
She also said there was an absolute necessity of a new legal regime under UNFCCC Protocol ensuring social, cultural and economic rehabilitation of climate migrants and refugees that Bangladesh and countries in both groups were burdened with for no fault of their own.
Welcoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and European Union's climate-financing proposal, the Premier noted that in terms of need they were inadequate but good as the base to work with.
"We should go further and beyond the European Union proposal meaningfully," said Hasina, who was scheduled to co-chair a roundtable on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Challenges for Agriculture and Food Security at the FAO headquarters at around 10:00pm BST Tuesday.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that it was indeed possible to have a successful COP 15 in Copenhagen. "If the developed countries could invest trillions of dollars in resurrecting the world economic situation and for armaments, they could surely contribute generously to the climate fund as proposed to be established in Copenhagen in December this year," she said.
"There should be a separate adaptation and mitigation fund for MVCs and LDCs to face the consequences of climate change," she said while addressing a joint working dinner with 10 heads of government and state in the Italian capital Monday night on the sidelines of the World Summit on Food Security.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Italian Foreign Minister Frattini jointly hosted the dinner.
"MVCs and LDCs do not want to be put in the same group with developing countries, including the advanced developing ones, when considering financial benefits. MVCs and LDCs should be given priority and kept as a separate group and there should be a separate adaptation and mitigation fund for them," said the Prime Minister.
She also said the climate funds should not be loans but grants, with no string of conditions binding their use for the climate victims.
"Such funds must be additional and distinct from ODA targets of 0.7 per cent of their gross national income for developing countries and 0.2 per cent for LDCs as affirmed by the Brussels programme of action," said Hasina.
The PM, who arrived here on November 15 to attend the three-day World Summit on Food Security that began Monday, categorically said that MVCs and LDCs did not want adaptation, mitigation, and technology transfer support to be in one basket.
She also said there was an absolute necessity of a new legal regime under UNFCCC Protocol ensuring social, cultural and economic rehabilitation of climate migrants and refugees that Bangladesh and countries in both groups were burdened with for no fault of their own.
Welcoming British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and European Union's climate-financing proposal, the Premier noted that in terms of need they were inadequate but good as the base to work with.
"We should go further and beyond the European Union proposal meaningfully," said Hasina, who was scheduled to co-chair a roundtable on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Challenges for Agriculture and Food Security at the FAO headquarters at around 10:00pm BST Tuesday.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that it was indeed possible to have a successful COP 15 in Copenhagen. "If the developed countries could invest trillions of dollars in resurrecting the world economic situation and for armaments, they could surely contribute generously to the climate fund as proposed to be established in Copenhagen in December this year," she said.