29 November 2010, Cancun, Mexico
 

Madame chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for the privilege of addressing you this afternoon. I am Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki from Nepal, I serve as the International Coordinator of LDC Watch, an international network of civil society groups from Least Development Countries and a member of Jubilee South that is part of the Climate Justice Now Network.

I would like to share with you some of the urgent concerns of peoples movements and civil society organizations.

These sentiments are most felt by the peoples of Least Developed Countries, who count among those who will bear the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

1. First, we urge all governments to ensure that new and additional public resources for climate finance are made available in a way that is founded on the principle of historical responsibility, does not add to debt burdens, and is free from policy conditionalities.

Madame chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

2. We urge you to set up a Global Climate Fund under the authority of the UNFCCC that has an equitable governance structure, prioritizes the participation of affected communities, operates with full transparency and accountability, and provides direct access to funding. We demand this instead of giving the World Bank and other multilateral development banks a role in establishing or governing the new Global Climate Fund and in managing climate finance.

3. Finally, we urge the COP 16 to uphold democratic principles, transparency and inclusivity in the conduct of the negotiations.  We are very much concerned that the mistakes and violations in the Copenhagen Summit are not repeated.  These only serve to undermine the integrity and legitimacy of this multilateral process.
 
Thank you very much.