29.08.2018

Marshall Islands Become New Chair of Climate Vulnerable Forum

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia–Tuesday 28 August 2018: The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia concluded its chairmanship of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of the member states of the CVF with a handover ceremony held at Addis Ababa today transferring presidency responsibilities to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Dr. Gemedo Dalle, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said:

“The Marshall Islands gives us hope. They are very vocal and committed to fighting climate change. The CVF is in safe hands. We strive for 1.5°C to thrive and we can do this together. The dream of a safer world needs the cooperation of all countries, and of every man, woman, and child.”

Accepting the responsibilities of the Forum chairmanship, Mr. Carlsan Heine of the Office of the President of the Marshall Islands said:

“We have come together on climate change and we will continue to fight together on climate change. The Marshall Islands stands on the shoulders of the giants of this Forum who came before us as we seek to implement the CVF Vision and the core priorities of the V20 Finance Ministers. We are proud that a Pacific island nation of less than 100,000 inhabitants under female leadership will take forward this global Forum at this critical moment.”

The Marshall Islands is convening an entirely online Virtual Summit of the Climate Vulnerable Forum on 22 November 2018 and it was indicated that the Summit would be front and center of the Forum’s work for the remainder of 2018.

The handover ceremony took place in conjunction with meetings of the V20 Focus Groups and a CVF-V20 Troika Meeting held at Addis Ababa from 27-28 August 2018, gathering senior CVF and V20 officials from different world regions.

 

About the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20

The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) is an international cooperation group for developing countries highly vulnerable to climate change. Since its foundation in 2009 the CVF has come to include 48 member states from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. In 2015, the Ministers of Finance of the Forum created a dedicated body named the Vulnerable Twenty Group, or V20, to promote economic and financial responses to climate change. The Forum has led the #1o5C campaign to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, now a Paris Agreement Goal. Ethiopia assumed the 6th presidency of the CVF in 2016, while the Marshall Islands commences the 7th presidency of the Forum. 

 

Source and further information: press release