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Date Published: 03/30/10
UNDP, Delta close ties on Climate Change
THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Delta State
Government are currently moving towards sealing a deal on the worrisome
global climate change. They have already set a July time line to sign a
pact on measures aimed at combating and mitigating the effect of the
environmental challenge in the state.
Officials of the UNDP team on Territorial Approach on Climate Change
(TACC) and top government officials of the state have been putting heads
together in Asaba, the Delta state capital, to chart a path for the state.
UNDP team leader from Geneva, Christophe Nuttal, has briefed the state
Deputy Governor, Amos Utuama, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria (SAN) on their efforts so far.
The UNDP team appeared to be quite pleased with the administration of
Emmanuel Uduaghan on steps they have taken ahead of other governments in
Africa in the crusade and measures on Climate Change.
A member of the UNDP team from South Africa, Akiko Yamamoto, claimed that
the body and the state government have set a July time line for the
signing of a final agreement on measures to address climate change.
Yamamoto explained that under the arrangement, a consultant would come to
the state in May to interact with stakeholders and look into documents
prepared by the Delta State Government.
“Then in June we will have first draft project document ready for
review. We hope by ending of June we have a final document ready for
appraisal. Our target is by end of July we have project document signed by
Delta State Government, by the Federal Government and the UNDP,” she
added.
Utuama, who stood in for the governor, on his part, said “We want to win
the battle against the adverse effect of climate change… Emmanuel Eweta
Uduaghan’s leadership in the issues of climate change will not only be
at the conception stage. It will be carried further to the implementation
stage and even much further to the monitoring stage and step further to
the conclusion stage.
In all of these, we will partner with you and others wherever it becomes
necessary to do so. For us in Delta we are very certain…and will be on
top of climate change in Delta State.”
Head of Climate Change Unit in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Victor
Fodake on his part, acknowledged that the Delta State Government was
taking the lead in the fight against the adverse effect of climate change
and expressed the readiness of the Federal Government to collaborate with
the state.
The Delta state Commissioner for Environment, Bello Orubebe also noted,“as a ministry we have attempted to frame the climate change. We’ve
looked at mediation and we’ve also looked at adoption.
“We are the first in sub-Saharan Africa to develop a programme on
climate change. We have submitted this to the stakeholders’ forum in
February…We have embarked on consultations and we have been dealing with
communities.” |
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