Climate Change

February 2, 2017
Japanese
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Mr. Howard Bamsey, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), visited Japan from January 31 to February 2, 2017.

1. Main events during his stay in Japan

(1) Exchange of views with government representatives (January 31 and February 1)
On January 31, Mr. Kiyoshi Odawara, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs held talks with Mr. Bamsey. Mr. Bamsey also had meetings with senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and exchanged views on the current status of the GCF activities and other issues relevant to the future work of the GCF.
(2) Meeting with representatives of private companies (February 1)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting between Mr. Bamsey and representatives of Japanese private companies interested in GCF activities. The participating companies included manufacturers and financial institutions that are active in the area of climate change/the environment and interested in expanding their work abroad. They exchanged views on possible cooperation between the GCF and private companies toward strengthening measures in the financial area in the efforts to cope with climate change.
(3) Seminar at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) (February 1)
At a climate finance seminar held by the ADBI, Mr. Bamsey gave a keynote speech to the audience including government officials, researchers and corporate representatives. Mr. Bamsey explained the significant role of climate finance in the area of climate change and expressed his expectation for the active invlovement of Japanese companies in the GCF projects.

2. Overall assessment of the visit

Japan has supported climate change measures through the GCF, for example by deciding to contribute 1.5 billion US dollars to the GCF in 2015（PDF）Open a New Window and participating in the GCF Board meetings. Mr. Bamsey visited Japan shortly after his assumption of office as Executive Director of the GCF on January 10. The Government of Japan welcomes the Mr. Bamsey’s choice of Japan as his first official visit overseas, which demonstrates the GCF’s high expectations for Japan in the area of climate change. During his visit to Japan, Mr. Bamsey was able to inform the recent work of the GCF to a broader audience including private companies, indicating the possibilities of further cooperation with Japan. This visit could possibly provide an opening for more active involvement of Japan in the work of the GCF.

Building on the achievement made through this visit, Japan intends to further strengthen cooperation with the GCF.

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