29 June 2009: The UN Secretary-General welcomed the proposal on financing for climate change, called “Roadmap to Copenhagen,” which was announced by the UK Government.

According to media reports, on 26 June 2009, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled a proposal for US$100 billion to be raised annually to finance mitigation and adaptation measures, especially in the world’s poorest nations. Michele Montas, Secretary-General Ban’s spokesperson, noted that the initiative comes at a critical time and is the kind of leadership that developed countries must demonstrate for the UNFCCC negotiations on a new post-2012 climate change framework to succeed. She added that “without a serious commitment on financing from developed countries, a deal in Copenhagen is unlikely.” The Secretary-General expressed the hope that the UK initiative will catalyze discussion and commitments on financing from other member States. [Roadmap to Copenhagen][UN Press Release]