Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Building a Global Climate Change Alliance between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change
Date: 2007-09-18
Institutions: European Economic Community
Subjects: EU policy, climate change, developing countries, development aid, international affairs, poverty, reduction of gas emissions

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 18.9.2007 
COM(2007) 540 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Building a Global Climate Change Alliance between the European Union and poor 
developing countries most vulnerable to climate change 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Building a Global Climate Change Alliance between the European Union and poor 
developing countries most vulnerable to climate change 

INTRODUCTION 

1. 
Scientific data analysed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1 provide 
the  international  community  with  three  alarming  conclusions:  firstly,  climate  change  is 
happening; secondly, the recent acceleration in climate change is the result of human activity 
leading  to  the  emission  of  greenhouse  gases  (GHG)  into  the  atmosphere;  and  thirdly,  most 
regions  in  the  world,  and  especially  those  in  the  developing  world,  will  be  increasingly 
affected by climate change.  

The  European  Union  (EU)  has  taken  a  leadership  role  in  promoting  international  action  to 
tackle  climate  change.  In  March  2007  EU  Heads  of  State  and  Government  put  forward 
proposals for a global and comprehensive post-2012 climate change agreement to limit global 
warming  to  2°C  above  pre-industrial  levels,  and  committing  to  significant  cuts  in  the  EU's 
GHG  emissions,  even  in  the  absence  of  an  international  agreement.2  The  EU,  as  the  largest 
provider  of  Official  Development  Assistance  (ODA),  has  also  taken  a  lead  role  in 
international  development  efforts,  as  reflected  in  the  “European  Consensus”3,  in  ambitious 
ODA  commitments  and  in  the  promotion  of  aid  effectiveness  and  coherence.  Although  the 
EU  already  highlighted  the  strong  links  between  climate  change  and  poverty  in  2003,4  the 
urgency  and  magnitude  of  the  challenge  calls  for  a  more  collective  initiative  to  match 
Europe’s responsibility and commitment in the fight against poverty. 

Projections of the effects of climate change show that the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 
and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be hit earliest and hardest. Moreover, these 
countries have the fewest resources to prepare for these alterations, and to adapt their way of 
life.  Climate  change  is  therefore  likely  to  further  delay  the  achievement  of  the  Millennium 
Development Goals (MDGs) in many of these countries. 

This  Communication  proposes  to  establish  a  Global  Climate  Change  Alliance  (GCCA) 
between  the  EU  and  poor  developing  countries  most  vulnerable  to  climate  change,  in 
particular the LDCs and SIDS, and outlines the objectives and functioning of the initiative.5 
The  Alliance  will  provide  for  a  platform  for  dialogue  and  exchange  as  well  as  practical 
cooperation to tackle the combined challenge of the fight against poverty and climate change, 
in support of the international negotiations on a post-2012 climate change agreement and the 
adoption of effective action at national level.  

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5 

IPCC. 4th Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 
COM  (2007)  2,  Limiting  Global  Climate  Change  to  2°C:  The  Way  Ahead  for  2020  and  Beyond, 
10.1.07, and European Council Conclusions (7224/07), 9.3.07 
The European Consensus sets out common EU objectives and principles for development cooperation. 
See Council conclusions (14820/05), 22.11.05 
COM  (2003)  85,  Climate  Change  in  the  Context  of  Development  Cooperation,  11.3.03,  and  Council 
conclusions (15164/04), Climate change in the Context of Development Cooperation, 24.11.04 
A Staff Working Paper detailing the implementation of the initiative is planned for Dec 07 

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This Alliance needs to be backed by a strong commitment from the EU to increase financial 
support for adaptation measures in LDCs and SIDS, and mitigation efforts which benefit these 
countries'  poverty  reduction  agenda.  The  Alliance  will  constitute  a  key  element  of  the  EU's 
collective  external  action  in  the  area  of  climate  change,  and  will  complement  and  reinforce 
other dialogues and cooperation activities.  

2. 

RATIONALE FOR ACTION 

The IPCC's 4th Assessment Report provides a regional analysis of the impacts to be expected 
from  climate  change.  For  Africa,  home  to  the large  majority  of  LDCs,  the  report  concludes 
that it is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of 
multiple  stresses  and  low  adaptive  capacity.  Water  stress,  food  insecurity  through  droughts 
and  desertification,  sea  level  rise,  new  health  risks,  extreme  weather  events  and  migration 
pressures  are  some  of  the  projected  impacts.  Other  parts  of  the  world  including  Asia,  Latin 
America and SIDS face similar challenges. In most cases, climate change superimposes itself 
on existing vulnerabilities. In many LDCs and SIDS, food security and safe water supply, for 
instance,  are  already  challenged  due  to  gradual  erosion  of  natural  resources.  They  are  also 
often  ill-prepared  for  disasters,  which  have  many  times  left  countries  in  a  state  of 
devastation.6  At  the  same  time,  due  to  their  limited  economic  development,  it  is  LDCs  and 
SIDS  that  are  least  responsible  for  the  accumulation  of  GHG  in  the  atmosphere,  and  hence 
climate change. 
In October 2006, the Stern report7 emphasised that the world does not need to choose between 
averting  climate  change  and  promoting  growth  and  development.  Not  acting  on  climate 
change  will,  in  the  long  term,  be  a  lot  more  costly  to  the  global  economy  than  acting  on  it 
now. Stern elaborates explicitly on high costs of climate change for the poorest countries, and 
calls upon the international community to support them. 

In the conclusions of the European Council in March 2007, the EU emphasised the need for 
alliance-building  with  developing  countries.  The  proposals  underline  the  importance  of 
greater cooperation between the EU and LDCs in particular in the following areas: adaptation, 
monitoring of climate change, food security, disaster risk reduction, plus better access to the 
Clean  Development  Mechanism  (CDM).  The  EU  also  calls  for  emissions  resulting  from 
deforestation  in  developing  countries  to  be  halted  and  then  reversed  within  two  to  three 
decades. The G8 Heiligendamm Summit reiterated the importance of reducing emissions from 
deforestation  and  adaptation  as  priority  areas  for  the  G8's  cooperation  with  developing 
countries in the area of climate change.8  

The recently adopted Green Paper on the options for EU action for adapting to climate change 
in Europe9 contains a  pillar  on "integrating  adaptation into EU external actions". The Paper 
explicitly  calls  for  enhanced  dialogue  and  cooperation  between  the  EU  and  developing 
countries on climate change, through the building of a Global Climate Change Alliance.  

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For  a detailed  discussion  of  the  impact  of  climate  change on poor  countries,  see  Inter-Agency  Paper. 
Poverty and Climate Change, 2003  
N. Stern, The Economics of Climate Change, London, Oct 06 
G8 Summit Heiligendamm communiqué - Growth and Responsibility in the World Economy, 7.6.07 
COM (2007) 354 

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3. 

BUILDING  A  GLOBAL  CLIMATE  CHANGE  ALLIANCE  (GCCA)  BETWEEN  THE  EU 
AND POOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MOST VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE  

3.1. 

Overall objective 

By fostering effective dialogue and cooperation on climate change, the Alliance will help to 
ensure  that  poor  developing  countries  most  vulnerable  to  climate  change,  in  particular  the 
LDCs and SIDS, increase their capacities to adapt to the effects of climate change, in support 
of  the  achievement  of  the  MDGs.  Where  it  benefits  their  poverty  reduction  objectives,  the 
Alliance  will  also  help  such  countries  to  participate  in  the  global  climate  change  mitigation 
effort, even if, as in the case of LDCs, they will not be required to make emission reduction 
commitments under a post-2012 agreement.  

3.2. 

An Alliance for dialogue and exchange 

The  GCCA  will  provide  for  a  platform  for  dialogue  and  exchange  among  the  EU  and  poor 
developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular the LDCs and SIDS, on 
practical approaches to realising the integration of development strategies and climate change. 
The  results  of  this  dialogue  and  exchange  will  feed  into  the  development  of  a  post-2012 
climate  agreement,  supporting  the  converging  of  visions  for  the  agreement  between  Europe 
and developing countries.  

The  GCCA  is  strictly  complementary  to  and  supportive  of  the  ongoing  process  within  the 
United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change  (UNFCCC)  and  the  Kyoto 
Protocol.  The  EU  believes  that  establishing  a  forum  for  the  exchange  of  views  and 
experiences  with  LDCs  and  SIDS  outside  the  negotiating  context  will  help  to  advance  the 
implementation of the UNFCCC and related agreements. 

Participation  in  the  GCCA  is  intended  for  those  countries  effectively  committed  to  taking 
measures to respond to climate change. It will provide for regular opportunities for meetings 
between  the  EU  and  these  countries  in  view  of  the  implementation  of  the  Alliance,  making 
use,  whenever  appropriate,  of  existing  regional dialogue  structures  and  partnerships  such  as 
the  African  Caribbean  Pacific  (ACP)  group,  the  African  Union  (AU),10  SIDS  and  the  Asia-
Europe Meeting (ASEM). It will also support South-South dialogue and exchange.  

3.3 

An Alliance for effective cooperation 

Beyond  dialogue  and  exchange,  the  GCCA  will  provide  technical  and  financial  support  for 
adaptation  and  mitigation  measures,  and  for  the  integration  of  climate  change  into 
development strategies. Five priority areas and related actions are proposed below; these will 
have  to  be  further  discussed  and  refined  in  the  GCCA  dialogue.  The  last  priority  area, 
integrating  climate  change  into  poverty  reduction  efforts,  is  of  cross-cutting  nature,  and 
therefore also relevant to the other priority areas. 

(a) 

Adaptation to climate change  

Objective: To help developing countries improve their knowledge base on the effects of 
climate change, to develop and implement adaptation strategies.  

•  In-depth research on the likely effects of climate change on a given country or region and 
reliable  climate  observation  are  needed  for  all  adaptation  measures.  Findings  need  to  be 
translated  into  practical  information  for  use  by  policy-  and  decision-makers.  Research  is 

10 

The  European  Commission  has  recently  proposed  the  launching  of  an  EU-Africa  Partnership  on 
Climate Change, under the wider umbrella of the GCCA. See COM (2007) 357  

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key in the climate-sensitive sectors of water and agriculture in particular, as these are the 
basis  for  food  security  as  well  as  on  the  possible  effects  of  climate  change  on  seas  and 
oceans. 

•  For the LDCs, adaptation needs are identified in the National Adaptation Programmes of 
Action  (NAPAs).  So  far,  20  LDCs  have  finalised  such  programmes,11  and  the  process  is 
ongoing  in  the  majority  of  remaining  LDCs,  with  the  financial  support  of  the  Least 
Developed Country Fund (LDCF) managed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). 
The challenge is now to implement these programmes, while at the same time producing 
adaptation action plans in non-LDC countries that are equally vulnerable. Areas typically 
identified  in  the  NAPAs  are:  assistance  on  water  (e.g.  increased  water  efficiency), 
agriculture (e.g. research on drought-resistant varieties), health (e.g. malaria prevention in 
newly  exposed  populations),  sustainable  energy  production  and  use;  non-sector-specific 
assistance  e.g.  awareness  raising,  knowledge  dissemination,  curriculum  development  and 
removing barriers to technology transfer.  

•  Adaptation to climate change provides ample opportunity for the EU, LDCs and SIDS to 
work together. The Commission’s Green Paper on Adaptation aims to stimulate a debate 
on  the  most  effective  adaptation  measures  to  be  taken  in  Europe.  The  EU  will  share  the 
outcome  of  its  follow-up  with  its  developing  country  partners,  and  support  them  in  the 
development of equally comprehensive approaches to adaptation within the framework of 
the GCCA. 

Proposed areas of intervention 

►Supporting the development of adaptation action plans in vulnerable countries other than 
LDCs, through technical assistance, capacity support and facilitation of cooperation between 
stakeholders.  

►Supporting  the  implementation  of  adaptation  action  plans  in  LDCs  and  SIDS  effectively 
committed to taking measures to respond to climate change. 

►Financing pilot adaptation projects focussing on the water and agricultural sectors, as well 
as on sustainable management of natural resources. 

►Supporting  international  collaborative  research  on  the  impacts  of  climate  change  in 
developing  countries  and  regions,  as  well  as  on  the  identification  and  design  of  innovative 
adaptation  solutions,  e.g.  through  the  EU's  7th  Research  Framework  Programme,  and  the 
Food Security Thematic Programme. 

(b) 

Reducing emissions from deforestation  

Objective:  To  decrease  CO2  emissions  from  deforestation  in  developing  countries,  by 
creating  economic  incentives  for  forest  protection,  while  preserving  livelihoods  and 
ecosystems depending on forests.  

•  About  20%  of  global  CO2  emissions  are  caused  by  deforestation.  In  LDCs,  62%  of  total 
emissions  originate  in  land-use  change,  primarily  deforestation.  The  regions  with  the 
highest  deforestation  rates  in  the  world  are  Africa,  Latin  America  and  South-East 
Asia/Pacific.12  Deforestation  has  multiple  economic,  socio-political,  demographic  and 

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For an updated list, see http://unfccc.int/national_reports/napa/items/2719.php 
FAO. State of the World's Forests, 2007 

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environmental causes: logging, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, use of 
biomass  as  main  energy  resource,  but  also  policy  and  institutional  failures,  and  cultural 
factors. 

•  The importance of engaging in meaningful action to combat deforestation is recognised in 
the UNFCCC and Parties are discussing policies and approaches to reduce emissions from 
deforestation  in  a  post-2012  international  agreement  on  climate  change.  The  discussions 
are  directed  towards  voluntary  commitments  by  developing  countries,  which  would  take 
action to reduce their current deforestation levels and be rewarded on the basis of avoided 
emissions. Parties are expected to agree in Bali in December 2007 to initiate pilot activities 
that  will  help  countries  to  prepare  for  the  future  scheme  to  reduce  emissions  from 
deforestation.  

•  The  EU  Forest  Law  Enforcement,  Governance  and  Trade  (FLEGT)  programme  uses  a 
powerful incentive – export to the EU of timber certified as having been legally harvested 
only  –  to  address  illegal  logging  activities  and  promote  sustainable  forest  management, 
indirectly  contributing  to  reducing  emissions.  Currently,  FLEGT  discussions  are  ongoing 
in some 15 timber-producing countries.  

Proposed areas of intervention 

►In  the  period  leading  up  to  2012,  helping  to  build  up  reporting  systems  and  national 
capacities to monitor deforestation, strengthen institutions, and develop national strategies to 
combat deforestation. 

►Supporting  experimental,  innovative  performance-based  mechanisms  to  provide  positive 
incentives for the reduction of emissions from deforestation in developing countries.  

►Expanding  programmes  such  as  the  FLEGT  initiative,  which  contribute  to  improving 
sustainable  natural  resources  governance  while  reducing  emissions,  and  preserving 
ecosystems and livelihoods. 

(c) 

Enhancing participation in the Clean Development Mechanism 

Objective:  To  help  developing  countries  to  participate  in  and  benefit  from  the  global 
carbon market, through the Clean Development Mechanism. 

•  The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) makes it possible for companies or countries 
that  have  to  reduce  emissions  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol  to  invest  in  emission  reduction 
projects in developing countries. Such projects must contribute to sustainable development. 
The  CDM  leads  to  significant  long-term  investment;  it  creates  jobs  and  income,  triggers 
transfer  of  technology  and  helps  developing  countries  to  adopt  climate-sensitive  low 
carbon development paths. CDM projects cover many sectors, including sustainable energy 
production and use, waste treatment, reforestation and biofuels.  

•  The geographic distribution of CDM projects remains uneven. The bulk of the projects are 
currently  located  in  Asia  and  Central/South  America.13  The  reasons  for  this  are  multi-
faceted, and include the complexity and high transaction cost of registration, but also weak 
institutional capacity and a poor investment climate. Both capacity building and technical 
support are needed to increase the participation of LDCs and SIDS in the CDM. 

13 

Only 22 out of a total of 766 registered CDM projects are in Africa and only two in LDCs, Uganda and 
Tanzania. See http://cdm.unfccc.int/Statistics/index.html  

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Proposed areas for intervention  

►Increasing capacity-building for participation in the CDM, and providing technical support 
for cost-effective project development. 

►Exploring  options  to  showcase  projects  and  project  types  that  are  better  suited  to  the 
specific conditions in LDCs and SIDS, including through the development of methodologies 
for such projects. 

(d) 

 Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 

Objective:  To  improve  the  preparedness  of  developing  countries  and  societies  for 
climate-related natural disasters, and to mitigate the risks and limit their impact. 

•  Climate  change  is  projected  to  lead  to  more  climate  variability  and  increasingly  extreme 
weather phenomena, such as typhoons, floods and drought as well as related hazards, such 
as  avalanches,  landslides  and  mudflows.  The  unpredictable  nature  of  many  hazards  calls 
for  a  prioritisation  of  effective  DRR  measures  in  countries  and  regions  most  exposed  to 
these  risks.  Special  attention  must  be  paid  to  measures  that  directly  benefit  vulnerable 
population groups.14  

•  The World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan in 2005 led to the adoption of the 
Hyogo  Framework  for  Action  2005-2015:  Building  the  Resilience  of  Nations  and 
Communities  to  Disasters.  The  Framework  includes  demands  for  greater  recognition  of 
climate  change  concerns  in  DRR  strategies  given  the  important  synergies  between  risk 
reduction and adaptation to climate change.15 The EU is fully committed to supporting the 
Framework  and  will  define  its  contribution  in  the  forthcoming  EU  Strategy  on  Disaster 
Risk Reduction in Developing Countries. 

Proposed areas of intervention  

►Improving and extending climate monitoring, forecasting, and information systems and the 
translation of collected data into effective preparedness measures, e.g. early-warning systems 
that benefit DRR strategies and other development policies.  

►Strengthening  regional  capacity  for  climate-related  DRR,  including  for  information 
sharing, knowledge management, early warning, and contingency planning. 

►Identifying  measures  to  help  disaster-prone  developing  countries  implement  the  Hyogo 
Framework, including addressing underlying risk factors, building resilience and risk-sharing 
approaches (e.g. insurance schemes).  

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e.g. people in extreme poverty, women, children, the elderly and the disabled, ethnic minorities 
Vulnerability  and  Adaptation  Resource  Group  (VARG).  Linking  Climate  Change  Adaptation  and 
Disaster Risk Management for Sustainable Development. 11/06 

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(e) 

Integrating climate change into poverty reduction efforts 

Objective:  To  assist  developing  countries  in  systematically  integrating  climate  change 
into  development  strategies  and  investments,  and  to  systematically  integrate  climate 
change into development cooperation. 

•  Climate  change  affects  many  sectors,  and  needs  to  be  integrated  into  poverty  reduction 
efforts in order to ensure sustainability. The governments of LDCs and SIDS need support 
to  comprehensively  integrate  climate  change  into  existing  and  new  policies.  The 
cooperation  portfolios  between  EU  donors  and  partner  countries  must  also  integrate 
climate change concerns.16 If climate change is not taken into consideration, development 
investments made today could potentially contribute to global warming, or be undermined 
by changes in climate.  

•  A number of lessons are emerging from the current review17 of the EU Action Plan18 on 
Climate  Change  and  Development.  The  policy  profile  and  awareness  of  climate  change 
among development actors have risen drastically. The European Commission and the EU 
member states are supporting a broad range of climate change related activities in partner 
countries.  However,  systematic  climate  risk  assessment  and  mainstreaming  of  climate 
change  into  development  strategies  and  programmes  (“climate  proofing”)  are  still  at  an 
early stage, both at developing country level and within development agencies. 

Proposed areas of intervention 

►Promoting  the  integration  of  adaptation  action  plans  into  Poverty  Reduction  and  other 
development strategies.  

►Supporting  the  development  of  institutional  capacity  in  LDCs  and  SIDS  for  the 
mainstreaming of climate change into their policies. 

►Screening EU-funded development projects and programmes, including at sector or budget 
support  level,  for  potential  environmental  impacts  and  undertaking  Strategic  Environmental 
Assessments  (SEAs).  As  to  the  European  Commission,  climate  change  considerations,  both 
regarding  mitigation  and  adaptation,  will  be  systematically  addressed  at  the  occasion  of  the 
mid-term  review  of  Country  and  Regional  Strategy  papers  and  fully  considered  when 
preparing  Country  and  Regional  Strategy  papers  for  the  next  programming  cycle  starting  in 
2012.  

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This is part of a wider EU commitment to integrating environmental concerns into its external actions 
The publication of the Progress Report is foreseen in September 2007  
The  EU  Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change  and  Development  (2004-08)  sets  out  four  strategic  areas  of 
mainstreaming  climate  change  into  poverty  reduction  efforts:  (i)  raising  the  policy  profile  of  climate 
change;  (ii)  support  for  adaptation;  (iii)  support  for  mitigation  and  low  greenhouse  gas  development 
paths; and (iv) capacity development. See Council conclusions (15164/04), 24.11.04  

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4. 

FINANCING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ALLIANCE 

The European Commission is committed to mobilising substantial resources to implement the 
GCCA in the priority areas proposed above. It is very difficult to put exact figures to the cost 
of addressing climate change in LDCs and SIDS, but first estimates show that the resources 
required will be major.19  

At the EC, the Thematic Programme "Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural 
Resources,  including  Energy"  (ENRTP)  is  the  key  delivery  instrument  for  the  GCCA.  €50 
million  of  additional  resources  have  been  included  into  the  ENRTP  and  specifically 
earmarked for the GCCA over the period 2008-2010. Other ENRTP funds that can contribute 
to the aims of the GCCA include parts of: the €25 million under the heading of the EU Action 
Plan on Climate Change and Development and the Communication Limiting Global Climate 
Change to 2° Celsius: The way ahead for 2020 and beyond20; and the €70 million under the 
forest heading.  

In  addition  to  ENRTP  funding,  the  EC  will  explore  avenues  of  complementary  support 
through geographic programmes. As regards the 10th European Development Fund (EDF), in 
addition to country and regional envelopes that may  contribute to the GCCA, the following 
indicative amounts have been proposed for programmes covering all ACP countries:21 €100 
million  for  climate  change  and  the  environment;  €100  million  for  Disaster  Risk  Reduction. 
For  Asia,  Latin  America  and  other  regions  covered  by  the  Development  Cooperation 
Instrument (DCI), possibilities to complement the aims of the GCCA will also be assessed.  

EC resources can clearly only cover a very small share of total needs. The EU Member States 
have set themselves the ambitious target of raising ODA to 0.56% of GDP by 2010. For the 
EU,  this  means  an  increase  of  more  than  €20  billion.  To  make  the  GCCA  an  attractive  and 
credible initiative, it is essential for Member States to contribute to it.  

The European Commission calls on EU Member States to join forces on the GCCA, and to 
work towards common arrangements for delivery. This collective effort could take the form 
of a joint GCCA financing mechanism managed by the Commission and governed in such a 
way as to reflect the participation of the Commission and the Member States. 

Disbursements  made  within  the  framework  of  the  GCCA  will  be  designed  to  support  and 
complement other bilateral or multilateral initiatives and funds. Within the UNFCCC, several 
funds  financing  climate  change-related  projects  have  been  created.22  These  rely  first  and 
foremost  on  a  project-based  approach  to  funding  incremental/additional  costs  incurred 
through  addressing  climate  change.  The  GCCA  is  intended  to  build  on  and  reinforce  the 

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22 

In  its  “Report on  the  analysis  of  existing  and potential  investment  and  financial  flows relevant  to  the 
development  of  an  effective  and  appropriate  international  response  to  climate  change”,  the  UNFCCC 
Secretariat  estimates  that  additional  investment  and  financial  flows  needed  for  adaptation  in  2030 
amount to several tens of billion USD. Dialogue working paper 8 (2007) 
COM (2007) 2 
Discussions between the EC and the ACP countries on the intra-ACP cooperation strategy for the 10th 
EDF are ongoing. 
The  Least  Developed  Countries  Fund  (pledges  April  2007:  USD  115.8  million),  the  Special  Climate 
Change  Fund  (pledges  April  2007:  USD  62  million)  and  the  Adaptation  Fund,  projected  to  attract 
around  USD  400m  up  to  2012.  Since  1991,  the  Global  Environmental  Facility  has  committed 
approximately  USD  1.98  billion  to  climate  change  activities,  most  of  it  for  mitigation  activities. 
UNFCCC Handbook, 2006, http://www.gefweb.org/. 

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existing  dialogue  and  cooperation  on  climate  change  between  the  EU  and  poor  developing 
countries  most  vulnerable  to  climate  change,  particularly  LDCs  and  SIDS,  and  to  help  the 
integration of climate change actions into national development strategies and investments, as 
well  as  development  cooperation.  Where  appropriate,  climate  change  could  be 
comprehensively addressed through budget support.  

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The EU is the largest provider of ODA in the world and has put forward concrete proposals to 
reduce  GHG  emissions  in  view  of  containing  temperature increases  below 2°C.  The GCCA 
will substantiate this vision with collective action to match the legitimate demand from LDCs 
and  SIDS  that  climate  change  should  not  jeopardise  their  development  efforts  and  the  fight 
against poverty. 

Through enhanced dialogue supported by substantial development assistance from the EC and 
Member  States,  the  GCCA  will  provide  the  EU  with  a  unique  opportunity  to  show 
the  principles  of  multilateralism  and  global 
leadership  and  re-affirm 
international 
responsibility that underpin its international relations.  

EN 

10 

   EN