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President Kufuor rallies UN for global
action on climate change
From Kwaku Osei Bonsu, GNA Special Correspondent, New
York, US
New York, Sept. 24, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on
Monday rallied the United Nations (UN) to lead a global
response to face up to the challenges posed by climate
change.
"A global vision with global resolve to plan and mobilise
resources on an equally global scale for sustained solutions
is imperative."
The world body, he said, must therefore, as a matter of
urgency, marshal and mobilise both the developed and
developing nations to appreciate the threat as universal, so
that all would cooperate to save mankind.
President Kufuor was contributing to a high-level discussion
on "Climate Change" at the UN Headquarters in New York. He
was one of the 20 Heads of State invited to participate in
the event by the UN Chief Ban-Ki Moon.
"The Challenge of Adaptation: From Vulnerability to
Resilience" was the theme.
President Kufuor, who is Chairman of the AU, noted that in
Africa and other poor countries across the world, the
phenomenon was already making it difficult to guarantee the
necessities of life.
These countries including Ghana, he said, were feeling the
impact of the change resulting from misinformed handling of
the environment as well as effluence caused by the
industrialized nations.
He cited erratic rainfall, drought and desertification,
floods and other weather-related disasters, and said, these
were endangering human life and affecting agricultural
productivity, food and water security.
Heavy rains recently flooded large swathe of countries in
the West, Central and East Africa, leaving thousands of
people in misery, submerging food crop farms, washed away
roads and bridges and destroyed homes.
The three Northern Regions of Ghana and parts of the Western
Region devastated by the floods had been declared disaster
zones and President Kufuor said, this had something to do
with climate-change, if not wholly caused by it.
He said the ability of the Continent and other developing
countries to deal with the challenge was however, limited.
General poverty, over-reliance on nature, especially in
agriculture, little or no access to technology to adapt, or
to mitigate the impact combined, make these countries
vulnerable.
President Kufuor recognized the establishment of Funds like
the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund and the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)
for adaptation projects and said although these were in the
right direction, they tended to be reactive and not
substantial enough.
He said they needed to be broadened to include, not only
assistance for relief and adaptability but should be made
more proactive for achieving the integrated long-term
solutions the world must achieve for survival.
GNA
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