Finland to Support a South Centre Climate Change Project

Finland has agreed to fund a three-year South Centre climate change project with Euro 200 000. The name of the project is Enhancing the Capacity of Developing Countries to Undertake Climate Related National Actions and to Engage in Global Change and Sustainable Development Processes and Discussions.

The rural areas in Ethiopia suffer from drought caused by the climate change. Photo: Pirjo-Liisa Heikkilä Rural areas in Ethiopia suffer from drought caused by climate change. Photo: Pirjo-Liisa Heikkilä

South Centre is an intergovernmental policy think tank of 51 developing countries, which provides intellectual and policy support to developing countries. The aim of this particular project is to enhance the ability of developing countries to prepare for and to prevent climate change.

On national level, the project will be concentrating on three main areas. Firstly, the aim is to collect information on developing countries’ climate related actions’ institutional structures. The second aim is to document developing countries’ plans on mitigating and adapting to climate change. Thirdly, the project will be concentrating on documenting developing countries’ technological needs, and list proposed actions.  

Along with planning climate related national actions, the aim of the project is to develop South-South and North-South discussions on global climate policy.

On a global level, the emphasis will be on following up on goals set up in Cancun. These are for example setting up a new climate fund, and measuring, reporting and verifying emission reductions.

Finland has supported South Centre’s forerunner, the South Commission, in the early 1990’s. 

UN