Denmark condemns rich countries over shortfall in LDC climate aid

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Mar 2023 21:59

The Danish Development Minister says it is a "total embarrassment" that rich countries, until today, could not raise $100 billion to assist the 46 poorest countries.

United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in Doha, UAE (UN-OHRLLS)

Denmark's Development Minister Dan Jorgensen slammed, during an address at the UN Least Developed Countries summit in Doha, rich countries' failure to raise $100 billion a year, as promised earlier, to assist poor countries confronting climate change, as a "total embarrassment".

Jorgensen argued, at the summit tackling the impact of rising temperatures on the 46 poorest countries, that countering the fallout from rising temperatures would cost "trillions" in the coming decades.

"It is a total embarrassment that the developed world has not yet delivered on the $100 billion that was promised in 2009," Jorgensen said.

The sum was expected to be completed by 2020, however, until today, only about $83 billion has been reached.

Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, noted at the summit, which concludes on Thursday, that despite accounting for only 4% of polluting emissions, least-developed countries continue to suffer about two-thirds of death from floods, storms, and other climate-related disasters.

One of the few Scandinavian-dominated nations, Denmark, has met the UN goal of allocating 0.7% of its gross national income to foreign aid.

It is worth noting that due to the coronavirus epidemic, several affluent countries have slashed their aid resources, while some European nations—including Denmark—have shifted aid funds to help refugees from the war in Ukrainian.

According to Jorgensen, Denmark is "delivering more than our share," adding that at the global stage, "we need to step up that financing."

Moreover, the Danish official proclaimed, "We need trillions, so 100 billion really should not be a problem."

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, the French state minister for international development, stated that France hoped to advance talks on assistance funds at a conference taking place in Paris this upcoming June 22–23.

The COP28 climate summit, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates this year, will be crucial for establishing "milestones" and "targets" for subsequent years, according to Stiell.

Before the summit in November, Stiell declared that his office was prepared to assist the least developed countries in creating national action plans to combat climate change.