By Megan Rowling
POZNAN, Poland (Reuters) - Rich nations will be asked to contribute $1 billion to a fund to help the poorest countries implement urgent projects to adapt to climate change, a top official said on Wednesday.
Boni Biagini, who runs the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) which was set up under U.N. auspices in 2001, said funds would be raised based on an evaluation of plans from 38 of the world's poorest countries.
"They are pretty satisfied about this amount. They say $2 billion would be better, but let's start with $1 billion at least and of course scale up," she told Reuters on the sidelines of U.N. climate change talks in Poznan, Poland.
Ten more countries are still preparing programs of action to adapt to the impacts of global warming.
The LDCF was established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a major international funder of environmental projects.
So far, rich countries have pledged only $172 million to the fund, with Germany, Denmark, Britain and the Netherlands contributing the most.
The United States has yet to give any money, but Biagini said she hoped that would change under the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
"It is the largest economy in the world and this is a fund for the poor ... so I am making my plea to the United States of America to give a contribution to the poor," she said.
Biagini said the United States had declined to contribute in the past, arguing incorrectly that the fund was part of the Kyoto Protocol, which it has not ratified.
Saleemul Huq, an adaptation expert at the International Institute for Environment and Development, said Washington could donate because the fund was part of the UNFCCC, of which the United States is a member country.
"Obama has a golden opportunity to move away from the absolutely shameless past of the Bush (administration) by making a major contribution of maybe $100 million or more," he said.
Many poor nations have complained about what they regard as delays in accessing cash from the fund. So far just one project has started in Bhutan, which aims to reduce the risks from glacial lakes that may overflow as rising temperatures melt ice.
Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, a negotiator from Bangladesh, told Reuters the Poznan talks had agreed the GEF should work with U.N. agencies developing the adaptation projects to speed up the process. Poor countries would also get assistance to build their capacity to adapt to climate change.
"This is one step in the right direction," he said.
Biagini said 24 projects were close to implementation, including measures to protect coastal areas from rising seas and to help farmers adjust to unpredictable weather.
(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
