2 Sep : Switzerland will host an informal summit of 40 countries, including India, on global warming on Friday to discuss modalities for a new Climate Fund that is expected to unblock the stalled negotiations on the issue.
Since the Copenhagen Climate Change meeting in December last year, the ongoing negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) have made little progress on a range of issues, including the emission-reduction targets as well as financing for mitigation and adaptation.
The two-day meeting in Geneva which will be attended by 40 Environmental Ministers, including India’s Jairam Ramesh, is expected to test developing countries’ resolve to resist the mounting pressure for new forms of funding, especially through private sources, as proposed by leading industrialised countries, said officials from developing countries.
“We are confident that India will provide ideas to arrive at the basis for climate-fund financing,” Franz Perrez, a senior Swiss foreign office official in charge of environment said.
“India has excellent negotiators and we expect both the minister (Jairam Ramesh) and his officials to interact with other countries on the key issues on financing,” he said.
The Swiss meeting is not expected to result in any agreement or declaration on the financing for climate fund.
“It is not supposed to arrive at any agreement but it would set the basis for further negotiations on what ought to be the key elements of the new climate fund,” the Swiss official said.
Industrialised countries had agreed to provide USD 100 billion by 2020 at the Copenhagen meeting to address climate change mitigation and adaptation in poor countries.
Until now, they have not spelt out how the fund will be raised and who will oversee its administration and disbursals.