Salceda elected as UN Green Climate Fund co-chair

MANILA, Philippines – Albay Governor Joey Salceda was elected on Oct 10 as the co-chair of the United Nations Green Climate Fund (UN GCF) Board in Paris, France.

He is the first Asian and first Filipino to lead the Fund’s 24-member Board, which was created to help developing countries adapt to the impact of climate change.

 

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Salceda thanked the public and President Benigno Aquino III for supporting his candidacy, saying it was an honor and privilege “for a local chief executive, for an Albayano, and for a Filipino” to be elected to the international board.

Funding concerns

 

As co-chair, Salceda will lead the Board in managing up to $100 billion in committed funds for developing countries to reduce greenhouse gases and move towards a climate-resilient development model.

 

“There is a lot of hard work ahead…[to combat] the effects of climate change on vulnerable developing countries and in curtailing climate change itself through the reduction [of] carbon emissions,” Salceda said.

 

Salceda has pledged to make the Fund operational in 2014.

 

The bulk of the funding will come from developed nations, who have pledged to fully fund the UN GCF by 2020. The Fund, however, has encountered birthing problems with donor nations slow to contribute their share of the fund.

 

Climate justice

 

Salceda is a known advocate for climate-justice, or the idea that developed nations must help developing nations mitigate the impact of climate change without curtailing their development. He has called for the transfer of climate mitigation technology at low or no cost to developing nations. (READ: Gov. Joey Salceda at the PH+SocialGood Summit 2013)

 

“All of us must do our fair share but some must do more than others,” said Salceda.

 

The 24-member UN GCF Board is equally composed of representatives from developing and developed nations. Two co-chairs, one from a developed country and one from a developing country, are elected to serve for a term of one year. – Rappler.com

WATCH: Gov. Joey Salceda speaks at the PH+SocialGood Summit 2013