Addis Ababa, April 28, 2010 (Addis Ababa) Creating carbon free economy is significant to prevent impacts of climate change on development, Deputy Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia, Desalegn Mesfin said .Desalegn said the process of building such economy should further be strengthened though it is already incorporated in the country's development plan.
Desalegn was speaking here on Wednesday at a workshop on "Climate Change and Development - Adapting by Reducing Vulnerability (CC DARE)".
He said identifying constraints in the process of building such economy is important to further intensify best practices.
Desalegn said the CC DARE is a joint initiative between UNEP and UNDP funded by the government of Denmark .
He said the CC DARE fund will be instrumental to enhance coordination among different government implementing partners in areas of adaptation of climatic change and thus bring efficiency in resource utilization.
Climate change is a global agenda and Ethiopia is playing a leading role representing Africa to address climate issues, he said.
These make the CC DARE program very timely and pertinent as it enables to establish an integrated program approach to Ethiopia's management of Climatic Change Risks, Vulnerabilities and Opportunities.
Strategic Policy Advisor - CC DARE Project, Climate Change Adaptation Unit, Dr. Richard Tingem Munang on the occasion said lack of awareness on climate change among the public is one of the gaps.
The workshop is aimed at creating awareness on the issue.
Ambassador of Denmark to Ethiopia, Pernille Dahler Kardel also said the Danish government decided to support the CC DARE with a view to addressing the need for a strong link between poverty alleviation and climate change.
The ambassador said CC DARE will cooperate with already existing climate initiatives and provide initiative for integration with other development strategies in play in the country.
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