EU creates alliance on climate change

The European Commission is proposing to build a new alliance on climate change between the European Union and the poor developing countries that are most affected and that have the least capacity to deal with climate change. Through this Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), the EU and these countries will work jointly to integrate climate change into poverty reduction strategies.

The EU will provide substantial resources to address climate change in these countries. Measures will include better preparedness for natural disasters which are expected to become more frequent and intense through global warming. The GCCA renews the commitment of the EU Action Plan on Climate Change and Development to systematically integrate climate change into development cooperation.

Developing countries will be the hardest hit by the effects of climate change and therefore need our help to mitigate climate change and to adapt to the changes already occuring. New technology is only one way of developing towards a sustainable society without hampering development and quality of life. This communication, presented by Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel in association with Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas and External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, aims to provide for a broader range of actions through dialogue and exchange as well as practical cooperation between EU and the developing countries.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that most regions in the world, and especially those in the developing world, will be increasingly affected by climate change. Poor developing countries, and in particular the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be among the countries hit earliest and hardest.

The EU has a leadership role in promoting international action to tackle climate change. The Spring Council 2007 put forward concrete proposals for a post-2012 international climate change agreement, and committed to significant cuts in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Climate Change Alliance will be an important pillar of the EU’s external action on climate change, reaching out to the countries least responsible for, but most affected by global warming.

Assistance provided under the Global Climate Change Alliance is proposed to focus on five areas: implementing concrete adaptation measures; reducing emissions from deforestation; helping poor countries take advantage from the global carbon market; helping poor countries to be better prepared for natural disasters, and integrating climate change into development cooperation and poverty reduction strategies. As Climate change affects many sectors, it needs to be integrated into poverty reduction efforts in order to ensure sustainability. Systematic climate risk assessment and mainstreaming of climate change into development strategies and programmes (“climate proofing”) are imperative in this regard.

The Commission already earmarked €50 million to the GCCA over the period 2008-10. But substantially more resources are needed to provide a response that adequately responds to the needs. Therefore an appeal is made to the EU Member States to dedicate part of their agreed commitments to increase Official Development Assistance over the coming years to the cause of coping with climate change in the most vulnerable countries.

The first occasion to discuss the Alliance with developing country partners will be the European Development Days held in Lisbon from 7th to 9th November and focusing on climate change and development.

Over the past years the link between climate change and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events became amply clear. Seven of the ten deadliest disasters of the last 20 years have occurred between 2000 and 2006. Only since July 2007, the European Commission has provided €24.5 million to the victims of natural disasters in Colombia, Caribbean, Peru, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, North Korea and the Sudan. The Global Climate Change Alliance aims to assist the most vulnerable countries in the prevention of and their preparedness for natural disasters.

World Bank Approves US$30 Million in aid to Colombia

The World Bank’s Board of Directors today approved a US$30 million loan to support Colombia’s efforts to increase rural competitiveness and build up entrepreneurship in poor rural communities through partnership schemes with the commercial private sector.

 

“About 68 percent of the people living in Colombia’s rural areas are poor, most of them small farm families,” said Miguel Lopez-Bakovic, World Bank Country Manager for Colombia. “This project will help reduce rural poverty by enabling small producers to compete successfully in the national and global marketplace.”

 

Under the Second Rural Productive Partnerships Project, small farmers’ producer organizations will gain access to relevant markets by entering into a productive partnership with private sector companies, with the support of financial institutions, government and civil society. At the same time, agribusiness firms will be able to expand food processing activities by securing supplies from small producers.

 

The project builds upon the success of the ongoing Productive Partnerships Support Project which has allowed the creation of 117 partnership schemes with the commercial private sector, benefiting 10,400 rural families.  These include partnerships to improve farm infrastructure, such as irrigation canals, aquaculture facilities, greenhouses, machinery, equipment and special studies.   These schemes have generated additional income and employment, stimulated social cohesion in rural areas, spread entrepreneurial culture, and generated local capacity to implement rural partnerships.

 

The new project aims to finance at least 300 additional partnerships and reach 25,300 small and medium-sized farm families.  The project activities will have national coverage but focus on the departments that have potential for development through agriculture.

 

This US$30 million, fixed-spread loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is repayable in 17.5 years, and includes a grace period of 5.5 years.

UN seeks support for Peru program

Margareta Wahlström

An appeal seeking approximately $37 million to assist victims of the Peru earthquake would be officially launched early next week, Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said at Headquarters this morning.

At a press conference where she briefed correspondents on United Nations relief efforts in response to natural disasters, she said $9.6 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) had already been allocated to ensure the availability of resources.  The Prime Minister of Peru had made the announcement at a press conference yesterday afternoon.

There had been an enormous outpouring of assistance from countries in the subregion, regional banks and non-governmental organizations, she said.  Relief efforts were proceeding well, despite some organizational issues in terms of distribution and access to people in need, and problems of hygiene and sanitation.  In the next few weeks, however, there would be efforts to clear the rubble from the widespread destruction of churches, public buildings and homes and to establish emergency employment schemes.  With 514 people dead so far and 1,000 injured, United Nations assessments were reaching out to rural areas and the Government was conducting a local census to establish the correct numbers of people in need.

Turning to Hurricane Dean, she said the category 5 storm had now been downgraded, although a hurricane warning remained in effect for the Gulf of Mexico coastline.  While only a relatively limited number of people had been killed, the hurricane had caused huge economic damage to power networks, as well as the agriculture and fisheries of many Caribbean islands.  Those left homeless in Haiti and Jamaica were being supported by the authorities, the United Nations system and voluntary organizations.  Hopefully, the disaster relief operation would be relatively short, with the focus on recovery.

She then turned to the floods in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, where a week of torrential rains had dumped up to 850 millimetres of rain — at least half of the country’s annual rainfall.  Momentum was building for an appeal to be launched early next week.  It had been agreed that about 400,000 people had been affected in 92 counties, with 221 dead.  Agriculture had been seriously hit, but the floodwaters were now receding.  The United Nations appeal would focus on providing food and emergency medical, water and sanitation needs.

She noted that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had launched an appeal on 20 August for $5.5 million.  There was a lot of interest by the donors, who were waiting for the United Nations to determine the first priorities, which would be available next week.  All the relevant United Nations agencies had staff in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, many of them having worked there for 10 years or more.  They knew the environment well and had actively led the needs assessments in all the affected areas.

Emphasizing the vulnerability of all countries to the increasing number of weather-related disasters, she noted the mid-western United States had also just suffered severe flooding.  There was a need for preparedness, early warning systems and consistent collaboration in reducing the human and economic impact of disasters.

In response to a question, she said the appeal for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was estimated at “somewhere between $15 million and $20 million”.

She told another correspondent that, while there were sufficient supplies of water, food, plastic sheeting, blankets and other needs in Peru, there was a need to improve coordination.

Asked whether there had been access problems in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, she said all the affected areas had been assessed.  Where areas had been difficult to reach, that had been the result of physical obstacles like collapsed bridges.  Those problems were mainly in the eastern and south-eastern parts of the country.

In response to a question about the Government of Somalia directing who should receive assistance, she said she was unaware of any efforts to prevent assistance reaching those in need.  However, many people had left the capital, Mogadishu, and a growing number needed assistance.