Singapore calls for climate fund

Today Online (Singapore): If a balanced outcome is to be struck on climate change, developed countries must provide support to developing countries, Senior Minister S Jayakumar urged as he chaired ministerial talks in Mexico ahead of the United Nations climate change meeting next month. In particular, Professor Jayakumar called for a new Climate Fund to be established in Cancun, which would "serve as a confidence building measure and signal the developed countries' willingness to provide long-term support to developing countries to undertake adaptation and mitigation actions".

Financing, technology cooperation and capacity building will be core issues in the upcoming negotiations, Singapore's National Climate Change Secretariat said on Friday. Expectations are low around the world that a legally-binding agreement can be reached. In Copenhagen last year, only several countries, including Singapore, had made various mitigation pledges. "It's important that after a year of negotiations, further progress is made," Prof Jayakumar said.

He said a decision on mitigation as well as on measurement, reporting and verification would "send a strong signal that countries remain committed" to the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change process. He stressed that there should not be a short-term focus, though. "A balanced package in itself won't make any sense if we don't make it very clear that such a package will form the basis for a future outcome that is legally-binding," he said….