Int’l conference of mountain countries on climate change
Kathmandu: The International Conference of Mountain Countries on Climate Change urged the mountain countries to focus on issues of environmental preservation.
Nepal President Dr.Ram Baran Yadav, inaugurating the two-day conference here on April 5, underlined the need of integrated efforts at the national, regional and international levels for minimizing the effects of climate change.
More than 300 participants including scientists, researchers, policy makers, and climate change experts from 25 countries attended the conference.
Funded by the European Union (Euro 8.6m) and the UK DFID (Euro 7.9m) and technical support from UNDP, the programme will be the first initiative to put the Government’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) into practice, reads a press statement jointly released by the UKaid, government of Nepal and the European Union .
The Conference on mountain and climate change, as part of the Mountain Initiative( 5-6 April )offered an opportunity to the mountain countries and stakeholders to come together on a common platform to deliberate mountain issues and the wellbeing of mountain people, and attempt to arrive at a common understanding of the needs and concerns of mountain regions.
The objectives of the conference was to provide a forum for mountain countries to share knowledge and experiences on impact of climate change on the mountains and deliberate the associated common risks, and discuss a common approach to deal with specific concerns relating to mountain ecosystems and livelihoods.
The conference discussed the Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) agenda and provided opportunities to analyze the challenges and prospects of mountain ecosystems, including poverty alleviation. These issues would be particularly important in the context of the ongoing climate change negotiations and the Rio+ 20 process.
