COP15 Post | News from the UN Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009

Representatives from the flood-prone Maldives will now be able to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) this December thanks to the UN participation fund.

The country’s President Mohamed Nasheed told reporters yesterday they don’t have sufficient funds to cover the cost of attending the conference, despite the island state being one of the most susceptible to climate change.

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change previously issued conservative estimates of sea levels rising by up to 59 centimetres by 2100. The majority of the islands that make up the Maldives lie less than one metre about sea level.

The UN has already set up a trust fund to help smaller nations participate in the climate meetings. Just last month, Denmark gave an additional grant of 9.5 million kroner to the fund, making it one of the largest contributors to date.

The fund will cover the attendance at the Copenhagen conference for two delegates from developing countries and three from the least developed countries as well as small island nations. The Maldives falls under the latter category.

Development Minister Ulla Tørnæs told The Copenhagen Post that she will be contacting the UN to make sure that the Maldives is aware it is covered by the fund.

She said Nasheed’s statement was a misunderstanding and said it is likely that three of the country’s representatives will be able to attend.

‘Of course it is very, very important that the most vulnerable countries are able to be represented at the conference,’ said Tørnæs.

According to the Tørnæs, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Australia are among the top contributors, each giving between $750,000 and $2 million to the fund so far.