Commonwealth meeting calls for better access to 'climate finance'

Representatives from Commonwealth countries most vulnerable to climate change ended a two-day meeting in Sussex, UK, with a call for practical support to enable them to access, manage and use funds to tackle the potentially devastating effects of changing global weather patterns.

The ‘Commonwealth High Level Meeting on Climate Finance’, which ran from 23 to 25 January 2011, was designed to build on the outcomes of the Commonwealth leaders meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009 and the commitments made at the UN Climate Change meetings in Copenhagen and Cancun.

At each of these meetings the urgent need for adequate money to deal with and prevent the effects of climate change in vulnerable countries was recognised.

The Sussex meeting brought together a regionally-representative group from Commonwealth ministries of planning, finance, environment and foreign affairs, as well as development partners, experts on climate finance, and regional organisations.

An Outcomes Document at the end of the meeting noted that the Commonwealth was well placed to share experiences and provide practical help to get projects under way.

"Participants emphasised that the reach of the Commonwealth across all key negotiating groups and its status as a trusted partner with its membership gave it an important role in addressing climate finance concerns," the Outcomes Document stated.

From this, the meeting recommended specific actions that Commonwealth member countries should undertake.

To read the full text of the meeting's outcomes, please click here.