Donald Kaberuka

Date : October 22, 2009 14:59

I agree with Dr Pachauri about the importance of these development days and in particular the interconnected themes of development and climate change. Both the financial crisis and global warming will have lasting effects on Africa, even though Africa’s own contribution to these crises has been marginal.
It is vital that in the search for a global solution Africa’s voice should be heard and Africa’s interests are taken into account. Any lasting solution must be inclusive. To give but one example, virtually the only contribution Africa makes to global warming, and that is less than 4% of the total, is through changes in land use. Therefore it is in our common interest that we preserve Africa’s lakes and forests. We must find ways to use these resources sustainably whilst allowing the communities who depend on them to continue to earn a livelihood. Additional financial resources will be needed, and not at the cost of existing development commitments. I therefore have very high expectations of the Copenhagen summit especially in the area of adaptation and the REDD Programmes. To this effect, as some of you may well know, the Bank houses the Congo River Basin initiative which I hope can receive additional support in Copenhagen to insure our preservation of this common carbon sink and permit sustainable livelihood for millions of people who live in this basin.

Rajendra Kumar Pachauri

Date : October 22, 2009 11:54

It is heartening that the European Commission has in partnership with the Swedish Presidency of the European Union organised the European Development Days in Stockholm this year. The discussion on this occasion covers extremely important issues that are critical to the welfare of human society including the serious challenge of climate change. It is essential that in fifty days when the next COP takes place in Copenhagen, the world takes adequate action for preventing the serious impacts of climate change, which would fall disproportionately on the world’s poorest societies. It is also essential that the developed countries set an example of sustainable development and mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gases. It is only through timely and adequate action that we can ensure a sustainable and safe future for our children and grandchildren. In this context I also salute President Sarkozy for having commissioned a landmark effort to redefine the measure of GDP, which clearly distorts our understanding and assessment of human welfare. The world has to move on a different path and adopt a new pattern of sustainable development, at the core of which would be efforts to carry out appropriate adaptation and mitigation in the field of climate change.