Kathmandu (The Kathmandu Post/ANN) - More than two dozen mountain countries have proposed for establishment of a separate fund to help mountain countries cope up with the impacts of climate change.
Concluding the two-day International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change yesterday, the participants representing the Mountain Initiative adopted the 10-point "Kathmandu Call for Action", calling on the global community to make dedicated funding arrangements for adaptation and mitigation programmes in mountain countries.
The separate fund proposed by the mountain countries is to be created under Green Climate Fund pledged during the climate summit agreements made at the Conference of Parties (CoP 15) in Cancun, Mexico in 2010. The international community had committed to mobilise US$100 billion annually for climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries. However, the fund proposed for the mountain countries is yet to be decided.
"This is the initial step of materialising our concept of bringing the mountain countries across the globe together in a common platform to raise the problems related with the mountain countries and its vulnerable communities during the global climate change negotiation processes," said Batu Krishna Uprety, joint secretary at the Ministry of Environment.
Addressing the conference on Friday, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai stressed for an urgent need to make progress in climate negotiations and ensure enhanced and predictable financing, especially for the developing and vulnerable countries.
The conference attended by over 70 representatives from 30 countries concluded yesterday, agreeing to give continuity to the Mountain Initiative on a sustainable basis through mutual consultations.
