By IANS,
New Delhi : Africa, as one of the victims of climate change, should be given suitable financial compensation for mitigation and adaptation projects, a top UN official said Sunday.
“Africa wants action now,” said Abdoulie Janneh, UN under secretary general and executive secretary of the world body’s economic commission for Africa, said at the session on “Climate Change in Africa” at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit here.
He said that the unanimous support for Africa had been heartening as it showed that there was the possibility of reaching some agreement in Mexico.
The Copenhagen accord had been greeted by disappointment by the African countries, who had criticised it for being non-binding, as well as not having adequate or clear funding for developing countries.
The 53 countries of Africa account for less the four percent of total global emissions.
Janneh asserted that to bring credibility to the climate change issue for Africans, there was need to have a “credible financial package”.
Rwandan Minister of Natural Resources Stanislas Kamanzi said that his country was already suffering from the effects of climate change, demonstrated by abnomal rainfall patterns and violent storms.
“Recently, within three hours, we had 80 mililitre of rainfall,” he said.
According to Gurjit Singh, joint secretary, east and south Africa in the Indian ministry of external affairs, there was a need to be careful to ensure that the “surge of new financing” does not lead to repetition of old patterns.
“Earlier, 95 percent of funds by old partners of Africa was for debt relief. But new partners have been giving aid 100 percent for development projects,” he said.
The new partners referred to were the emerging economies of China and India, who are looking to Africa for harnessing its natural resources.