Issues governing the impact of climate change will be the main agenda of discussion in the upcoming 16th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in Thimpu, the Bhutanese capital, on April 28-29.
The Standing Committee Meeting which kicked off in Thimpu on Sunday comprising foreign secretaries of the member states will endorse the theme of the SAARC Summit. It will then be endorsed by the foreign ministers´ meeting and finally by the meeting of the head of states.
Significantly, a regional consensus that SAARC should strengthen and represent unified regional voice to combat climate change at global level has been reached at New Delhi on Saturday by the People´s SAARC, a regional network of civil society organizations.
"Climate change is the theme of the SAARC Summit," Rajan Bhattarai, the prime minister´s foreign policy advisor, said, adding, "In SAARC, Nepal will highlight its effort in bringing to the fore the common concerns of mountainous countries concerning impact of climate change."
Bhattarai informed that the initiative taken by PM Madhav Kumar Nepal Nepal during the COP-15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December for formation of an Alliance of Mountainous Countries to fight challenges of climate change will be discussed in SAARC as well.
"We want to go to next COP-17 with an international network of mountainous countries and we will therefore go to Thimpu for a strong regional lobby in this regard," Bhattarai added.Nepal is soon hosting a Ministerial Meeting of Mountainous Countries.
The issue of glacier melting was for the first time brought before the international community in COP-16 after the historic cabinet meeting held in Kalapatthar drew the attention of the world at the issue and the effect of global warming on the lives of those living in the mountainous region.
Bhattaria also said Nepal is looking for a "strong support and solidarity" from other SAARC members in its efforts. He said, "India is very positive in this regard."
The Ministry of Environment has said that SAARC will concentrate on the issues like carbon emission, technology transfer, finance, disaster linkages in the region etc, but most prominently in initiating regional mitigation program.
"It is possible to divert the existing funds towards implementing effective climate change activities in the region," a MoE official who did not want to be named said, adding, "As a rising power, much depends on India´s initiatives."
The source also said that a regional action plan is expected to come at the end of the summit.
Besides a SAARC climate fund, a SAARC climate change study and research center for implementation of the action plan is said to be in the pipeline.
Regional climate change networks have also called on SAARC head of states to declare SAARC region as a low carbon economic region with particular emphasis on scaling up renewable energy technologies and providing low-carbon pathways for rural electrification.
They have also called for regional initiative for adaptation such as "food bank" and "early warning systems" which needs to be implemented immediately.
Source:http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=17920
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