Costa Rica Launches Action Plan of 20 Vulnerable Countries on Climate Change

Nov. 19, 2013 - PRLog -- Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday 19 November 2013 - Costa Rica announced today a new Action Plan for stepped-up efforts by 20 developing countries active in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) at a press briefing during the UN climate talks (COP19) in Warsaw, Poland. The CVF Action Plan is a major move for vulnerable countries uniting to boost ambition and advance international progress on climate change through to 2015.


The Plan includes cooperative action of vulnerable countries across six different multilateral sectors, including finance, health, human rights, labour and migration, mandating new research, high-level consultations and diplomatic activities. A principal action is the formation of a new special focus group of Ministers of Finance of CVF countries concentrated on climate change issues, being dubbed “V20”.

Chairing the CVF, the Hon. Minister of Environment of Costa Rica, Dr. René Castro-Salazar, said:
“Nature is not waiting for us politicians and diplomats but coming to a brink. We want to encourage the world to act. So one of the main goals over the next two years will be for us to launch the V20 as a group of twenty of the most vulnerable countries in the world and involving our ministers of finance. The biggest economies in the world face to face with the most vulnerable talking to each other and trying to find a common ground.”

Representing the Government of Bangladesh, Former Principal Secretary and Managing Director of PKSF, Mr. Md. Abdul Karim, said:

“We are really concerned to see that some key developed countries are retreating in their commitments on climate change at this crucial stage. Latest developments are a very serious blow to the climate-vulnerable countries within CVF. We are trying our best even when we have limited resources and capabilities. Yet, we face heavy technical and resource constraints. So, we collaborated deeply in the development of the Costa Rica CVF Action Plan; and fully support it - both for our own interests and for the other vulnerable countries.”

Also present at the press briefing, Ms. Veerle Vandeweerd, Director, Environment and Energy Group of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), commented:

"It is important to have an informal space like the CVF for Ministers to address issues and pleasing to see that the new Action Plan cuts across sectors by focusing on health, migration, human rights, and other key issues. Having finance ministers focus on climate change finance for instance is a welcome development. That will enable a stronger case to be made for the urgency and necessity of climate finance. So UNDP is very pleased to be a partner of the CVF and to help facilitate its work."

Commenting on the event and the effort to launch a V20 focus group of CVF finance ministers, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, Ms. Rachel Kyte, said:

"In the context of intensifying extreme weather events and the need to build resilience into development and adaptation into financing, we support the concept of the V20 to draw attention and mobilize political will in support of the plight of the most vulnerable."

Ends

Notes to Editors
About the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF): Currently Chaired by Costa Rica, since 2009 the CVF has been an active mechanism for cooperation and knowledge building on climate change policy issues - advancing the common cause of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet. Participating members include: Afghanistan, Bangladesh (Outgoing Chair), Barbados, Bhutan, Costa Rica (Incoming/Current Chair), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives (Founding Chair), Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

For more information on the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the CVF Costa Rica Action Plan, please visit: www.thecvf.org

Permanent link to the video of the press conference:http://unfccc4.meta-fusion.com/kongresse/cop19/templ/play.php?id_kongresssession=6996&theme=unfccc

For media enquiries and additional information, please contact: info (at) thecvf.org and visit www.thecvf.org/press
Abbreviations:
CVF: Climate Vulnerable Forum; COP19: 19^th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework   Convention on Climate Change; PKSF: Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation; UNDP: United Nations Development Programme; V20: Climate Change Focus Group of Twenty        Vulnerable Countries