Highway Africa News Agency (Grahamstown)
Gervais J. Henrie
28 September 2007
The Seychelles Ambassador to the UN, Ronny Jumeau said he's disappointed that small island states and low-lying countries are not urgently getting technologies they need to adapt to the rising sea levels in some areas.
Ambassador Jumeau was speaking at a high level event convened by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, entitled 'The future in our hands: addressing the leadership challenge of climate change.'
"I must express my disappointment that most technology talked about today is aimed at helping the polluters mitigate their emissions, laudable as that may be, with hardly anything being said about technology to help us small island states and low-lying countries adapt to climate change," stated Jumeau.
The UN permanent representative, avowed that he wasn't 'rattling another begging bowl,' explaining that climate change-related technologies, such as equipments for observation, monitoring, research and setting standards "come at a price which we certainly cannot bear alone."
With time fast ticking, said that he hoped donor countries, organisations and private sector entities with available resources will assist vulnerable states to help themselves.
It is in this contest, that the Presidents of Seychelles, James Michel and Palau, Tommy IEsang Remengesau have launched the Sea Level Rise Foundation.
"Together we are mobilising leadership, increasing resources and sharing skills, knowledge, technologies and innovations in a cost-effective and sustainable way that will catalyse action for conservation and sustainable livelihoods on islands and in low-lying areas in the face of climate change," explained Jumeau.
The objective of the foundation is to complement the UN's efforts by prompting global attention and action, including the innovation and transfer of the types of technologies that small island states and low-lying countries need, to address the devastating impact of climate change on their peoples and ecosystems and to help them adapt to new rising sea levels. Ends....
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