Minister Väyrynen to participate in climate talks in Poznan, Poland

Press release 463/2008
11 December, 2008

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen will participate in international climate talks to be held in Poznan, Poland on 12 December. Väyrynen will take part in a meeting of EU Development Ministers and Finance or Planning Ministers of Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) convened by the European Commission.

The purpose of the meeting is to deliberate, for instance, how to take climate change into account in the development and poverty reduction strategies and how the EU could develop its co-operation with LDCs and SIDS in particular.

Asian Development Bank's (ADB) new Future Carbon Fund was launched in Poznan on Wednesday, 10 December. By the Government’s decisions Finnish contribution to the fund will be USD 20 million. The Future Carbon Fund purchases emission reductions that are generated after the end of the year 2012. The fund supports renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and other projects that assist in reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the developing member states of the ADP. Minister Väyrynen, who introduced the decision to join the fund to the Government, considers it important that the fund also promotes development policy goals through its projects.

As concerns the Poznan conference, Väyrynen finds it positive that development policy and sustainable development goals in a comprehensive sense are taken into account in connection with global climate issues.

Additional information: Special Adviser to the Minister Ossi Martikainen, tel. +358 40 592 6769