Africa demands industrialized nations to fulfill commitments

The least developed countries are urging industrialized nations to fulfill their commitments on climate change.

The Prime Minister of Lesotho, Pakalitha Mosisili, delivered a statement on behalf of the least developed countries at the high-level segment of the UN Climate Change Conference. He called on industrialized nations to fulfill their financial, technological, and capacity building commitments.

African countries have also softened their demands for climate funding from developed nations. Ethiopia's Prime Minister spoke on behalf of all African countries.

He says he supports 100 billion US dollars in annual financing from industrialized nations, to help the developing world, by 2020. He also backs short-term funding, a position that falls in line with suggestions by the EU and the US.

Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian Prime Minister, said, "I support the establishment of a start-up fund of 10 billion dollars per annum, for the years of 2010 to 2012, to be used to address urgent adaptations in mitigation tasks, including forestry, and to prepare plans for more ambitious programs later on."

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi speaks during a press conference at the Bella center in Copenhagen on the 10th day of the COP15 UN Climate Change Conference.(AFP/Olivier Morin)