Arab Governments must adopt this agreement especially that only 3 months separate us form Copenhagen

PRESS RELEASE
Regional Meeting "Climate Change for Arab governments and NGOs"
ACA Position Paper: Post-2012 Climate Agreement
Arab Governments must adopt this agreement especially that only 3 months separate us form Copenhagen
BEIRUT August 19, 2009: Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), IndyACT, Arab Organization for Administrative Assistance (ARADO), along with Arab Climate Alliance held a workshop "Climate Change: the role of civil society organizations in face of the challenges " from the 17th till the 19th of August in Bristol Hotel Beirut, Lebanon.
This meeting was attended by members of Arab NGOs, journalists, academics, and activists along with the official representatives of the Saudi Arabian and Syrian governments.
Through continuous collaboration between Arab governments and NGOs, this conference aims to prepare and develop the Arab civil society's position and strategy that will qualify it to efficiently participate in presenting the climate change cause, pressuring and influencing the path of Copenhagen's Conference (COP15) that will be held between the 7th and 18th of December.
Due to the challenges imposed by the climate change crisis on the international, regional and national levels, and to the principle of common, but variant responsibility, the participants agreed on an Arab position paper. The "ACA Position Paper on Climate Change" includes common positions on the current presented issues, especially on the shared vision along with the mitigation and adaptation parts, the reduction of gas emissions to 350ppm, financing, technology transfer, and monitoring mechanisms.
This paper aims to become a reliable source that civil society organizations can use to apply pressure on decision makers and negotiate with Arab governments' representatives to formulate the Arabic position over climate change and influence the international agenda and the discussions in order to reach an ambitious, fair and binding agreement in Copenhagen keeping in mind that only 3 months separate us from deciding on our future life on this planet.
In addition, Copenhagen's Conference and the agreement that is supposed to result from it are considered an essential chance to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change; therefore, we invite Arab governments to adopt the ACA's position and to push forward to admit the Post-2012 Climate Agreement in order to ensure the safety of the Arab peoples and the planet.
Accordingly, the combined participants invite governments, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to adopt a strategy of work for post Copenhagen that will lead to the follow-up of the agreement's implementation if it's admitted, and to keep on fighting and campaigning if no consensus is reached.
-End-

Notes to editor:
Further information on the climate change campaigns in the Arab region can be found on:
www.arabclimate.org
www.indyact.org
For more information please call:

The league of Independent Activists-IndyACT
Rmeil, Nahr Street, Geaara bldg, roof floor.
Tel/Fax: 961-1-447192
PO Box: 14-5472 Beirut, Lebanon
www.indyact.org

Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND)
Tel: 961-1-319366
Fax: 961-1-815636
PO Box: 14-5792 mazraa 1105 2070 Beirut- Lebanon
email: annd@annd.org
website: www.annd.org

Arab Organization for Administrative Assistance (ARADO)
Mobile: 0020101763603
Mobile: 0020100398706
Tel: 0020222580006 internal: 343 Email: waleed@arado.org.eg