The two defining challenges of our century are managing climate
change and overcoming world poverty. We cannot overcome one
without the other. With international collaboration and sound
policies we can find success by launching a new era of low-
carbon economic growth while adapting to the climate change
which is already happening. Financial support for developing
countries will play a vital role in any integrated action and
thus the fresh proposals in the new report by the high-level
advisory group on climate change financing, which was
commissioned by the United Nations secretary-general in
February, can help make progress towards agreement in the United
Nations conference in Cancún, Mexico, which starts later this
month. The report outlines a coherent structure of policies
through which at least US$100 billion a year could be raised by
2020 from public and private sources for international action on
climate change. This goal is laid out in the Copenhagen accord,
which now has the agreement of 140 countries.