The Gambian representative to the UNFCCC said: “Impacts of climate change are evident and the White House paper under the Obama administration for instance, has taken climate change very seriously with a campaign to inform the people of the United States on the issue. At the foreign policy level, the secretary of state of that country John Kerry has also sent directives to all U.S missions around the world to make climate change a top priority. The European Union is also a critical partner. Even though countries like Australia and Canada are back-tracking, we have been trying to put some pressure on them because it’s an issue of survival and the most vulnerable countries including our least developed Island countries are bound to disappear.”
Mr. Jarju who is also the director of water resources at the ministry of fisheries and water resources indicated that overall action from countries like Australia and Canada still remain at a low ebb and there is need to put pressure on them to take the issue of climate change more seriously. He said government commitment to address the impacts of climate change is in line with other efforts by the international community to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable countries.
He concluded: “The secretary general summit on climate change is an important event as it seeks to galvanise global support and raise awareness on climate change. It also aims to draw the commitment of countries because the window of opportunity is closing and hence the needs for practicable and demonstrable action on climate change. At the United Nations level, we want to bring leaders to the contemporary discussion on climate change and as well, put something on the table. Of course, The Gambia government is prepared to join the global efforts to combat climate change and we are also seeking to draw support for our national mitigation and adaptation setup.”
By Lamin Njie
]]>
