The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on Monday agreed to deepen their cooperation by working together on various environment-related issues in Africa.
Their cooperation will cover the economic costs of climate change and how to finance the transition to a low-carbon economy, said a news release from the Addis Ababa-based ECA headquarters.
The heads of the two organizations, Abdoulie Janneh, ECA executive secretary, and Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, also agreed to revise their existing memorandum of understanding to cover mutual areas of interests, including environmental statistics, the economics of adaptation, geographical information service and sustainable production and consumption, said the news release.
Steiner, who became the head of UNEP in June 2006, visited Addis Ababa to hold talks with leaders of UN agencies and African Union Commission Chairperson Alpha Konare.
He said he would like ECA and UNEP to pay more attention to the linkages between economics and the environment.
"In many respects, the environment is still seen as a tax on development, instead of an investment," said Steiner.
Pledging ECA's support, Janneh said African ministers of finance had already pronounced themselves on the issues of climate change and that the work of UNEP could help clarify many thorny questions that the ministers may have.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article