Meles made presentation on Africa's Policy Response to the Global Financial Crisis and how the international community should help Africa at the 2009 UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Management Team Meeting kicked off here on Tuesday

The premier on the occasion called on the international community to live up to its commitments in terms of development assistance.

The international community can and should give Africa the necessary policy space to adjust to the change circumstance, Meles said.

Decision of donors to give African states the policy space to try out alterative paths of address the economic challenges they face is thus of paramount significance, he noted.

Africa is going to need development assistance perhaps more so than in the past given the more hostile global economic environment that appears to be emerged.

However, Meles said hopeful signs are surfacing that include the reaffirmed commitment of donors pledged in G-20 summit recently held in London.

Climate change is one of the factors that are expected to make the transformation of African economies even more difficult than in the past, he underscored.

He said the international community needs to take urgent steps to limit global warming to about 2 degree celsius in which he said is going to hit Africa first and hit it hard.

Meles said the most effective means of adapting to climate change is growth and transformation of Africa’s economy that needs funds from the international community to do so.

He said Africa is asking for the compensation for global warming, which he described “Africa has every right to demand compensation.”

The premier said the international community should limit global warming and pay compensation for the unavoidable damage caused by it to assist Africa overcome the economic challenges.

Meles said efforts are underway to articulate a common negotiating position.

“ What the international community can do is to either become a stumbling block or a helping hand in the struggle for African economic growth and transformation. “ Meles noted.

While responding to queries of the participants Meles said African countries should come with their own solutions to address the global meltdown.

The premier said Africa should transform the agriculture sector and need to add values in the sector as agriculture is potential to generate considerable amount of wealth for its people .

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