The climate group is established as a part of UN’s World Meteorological Organization, with the purpose of collecting and spreading information about climate changes.
- Mr. Egeland’s background and expertise make him eminently qualified for this important task. This is particularly important for the poorest countries, which are by far the hardest hit by climate change, says Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim, in a press release.
Will submit report by 2011
By 2011, the climate group will submit a report with recommendations for a global framework for climate services.
- This will make information on current and future weather and climate change more readily accessible. This will benefit all those working on health, agriculture and disaster preparedness in poor countries, Solheim continues.
- Egeland has shaped the world
In 2003 Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Egeland for the position as the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordiantor. Egeland has been central in several piece building processes, and Time Magazine has included him on a list of 100 persons who has “shaped our world”. He is currently the head of the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs.
Jan Egeland will co-chair the taskforce together with Dr Abu-Zeid, former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.