NEWS
Faith Based Development Agencies slam EU Finance Ministers for inaction on Climate Finance
21 October 2009
EU Finance Ministers came together in Luxembourg yesterday in the hope of agreeing the scale and sources of money which would help developing countries deal with climate change and pursue low carbon development.
.jpg?n=9324 "Farmer in Burkina Faso (© Broederlijk Delen)")
Faith based development networks CIDSE, Aprodev and Caritas are stunned that the EU, the self proclaimed leaders on climate change were not able to agree on a support package to help the worlds poorest.
CIDSE Secretary General Bernd Nilles said: "In the face of the scale and urgency of the challenge that awaits us, EU Finance Ministers chose to stick their heads in the sand. The EU risks losing its leadership on climate change, while creating an even wider trust gap between rich and poor countries.”
Caritas Europa Secretary General Marius Wanders said: "With only a week of EU negotiations left until Copenhagen, it is very disappointing that the EU finance ministers have missed the opportunity to take the significant and decisive steps that are necessary to deal with this make or break issue in the negotiations. The UN climate negotiations require firm and decisive EU leadership and commitments on financing. We can only hope and urge that the Heads of State will now grasp the opportunity that was missed by the Finance Ministers."
CIDSE, APRODEV and Caritas are calling on the European Council meeting on 29-30th October to commit to delivering more than €35 bn yearly in new, additional and predictable financing for low carbon development and adaptation to the impacts of climate change in developing countries.
More information
- CIDSE-APRODEV response to the September EC Communication on Climate Finance
- Contact: Roeland Scholtalbers, CIDSE Media & Communication Officer, +32 (0) 2 282 40 73, scholtalbers@cidse.org
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