International climate conference ends issuing 'Kathmandu Call for Action'

The two-day International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change has concluded in Kathmandu on Friday, issuing a 10-point 'Kathmandu Call for Action'.

The 'call' to the global community is for dedicated funding for adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts in mountain countries.

The representatives from 30 mountain countries, who participated in the conference, have proposed the establishment of a separate fund to help mountain countries cope up with the impacts of climate change. The fund is to be set up under Green Climate Fund pledged during the climate summit agreements 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.

The Kathmandu 'call for action' including reaffirmed solidarity and cooperation among the mountain countries and countries with mountainous regions for addressing the common problems affecting all the mountainous regions, and for consolidating our common efforts to effectively integrate mountain issues into the global climate change and development agenda including the Rio+20 process and beyond; prompting research and use of traditional knowledge for sharing, learning and exchange of information and best practices to support science-policy interface and help find best solutions to climate change challenges through global cooperation, including south-south cooperation, recognizing that the mountains provide solutions for sustainable development using ecosystem services, in particular, water, biodiversity, energy, and for enhancing food security.

The declaration also called for collective actions to achieve equitable and sustainable development including the Millennium Development Goals with a focus on reducing poverty and enhancing gender equity and social inclusion among the people in mountain countries and regions; agreement on updating the sustainable mountain development agenda in the context of growing challenges and opportunities, resulting from climate change and globalization; and agreement to give continuity to the Mountain Initiative on a sustainable basis, organize the next conference through mutual consultations at an appropriate time, and develop the programme of work to carry forward the Kathmandu Call for Action.

Addressing the conference on Friday, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai stressed the need for urgent need to make progress in climate negotiations and ensure enhanced and predictable financing, especially for the developing and vulnerable countries.

The conference was organised by the Environment Ministry in which over 70 senior representatives from 30 mountain countries, donor community and organisations working in the climate change had participated.

On the opening day of the conference, the Ministry of Environment launched the Nepal Climate Change Support Programme.

The first phase of this Euro 16.5 m (NRs 1.8 billion) programme aims to reduce vulnerability of two million women and men in the Mid and Far West of Nepal where the impacts of climate change are already being felt.

The programme, with funding provided by the EU (Euro 8.6m) and the UK (Euro 7.9m) and technical support from UNDP, will be the first initiative to put the Nepal government’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) into practice.