Chinwe Ochu
12 November 2009
Abuja — The European Union(EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have called on advanced countries to help developing countries in the West African sub-region to adapt to the unavoidable harmful consequences of climate change.
They also called on the nations to continue to take the lead in commitment to deep emission reduction cuts in the medium and longer term,and to provision of capacity building, financing and technology, to put developing countries on a low-carbon development path.
At the 16th EU/ECOWAS Ministerial Troika meeting, which held at the ECOWAS secretariat in Abuja, both parties recognised the important implications that climate change will have for food security and welcomed the EU initiative of dialogue with major parties, in order to look at possible areas of cooperation.
They, however, called on developing countries to prepare low carbon development plans as soon as possible, in order to indicate actions to be taken and the level of support they require.
The EU, according to the Sweden's State Secretary, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ambassador Frank Belfrage, who co-chaired the meeting with Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, specifically welcomed the advanced stage of preparations by ECOWAS, to adopt a Regional Action programme.to reduce vulnerability to climate change in the sub region, including setting up a Climate Change Secretary at the ECOWAS Commission, to facilitate the mainstreaming of climate change into priority national, regional and multi-country investments, programmes and projects.
The Union further welcomed ECOWAS' efforts to establish a common energy and electricity market and noted that the recently launched International partnership on Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC), as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) could play an important role in further enhancing cooperation on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
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