New Zealand announces Friends of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform group

PARIS -- 3 June 2010 -- At a Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) event on fossil-fuel subsidies today at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) headquarters in Paris, New Zealand's Deputy High Commissioner to Australia, Vangelis Vitalis, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced the formation of a new initiative, The Friends of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform.

Led by New Zealand, and including Sweden and a number of other developed and developing non-G-20 countries, the group intends to support and add pressure to G-20 Members to follow through on their September 2009 committment to rationalize and phase out fossil-fuel subsidies.

The GSI spoke with Mr. Vitalis following the event, who explains the key features of the new group in this interview.

For more information about fossil-fuel subsidies and the G-20 committment, see the GSI's website: http://www.globalsubsidies.org/en/research/fossil-fuel-subsidies

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• gsi
• iisd
• G-20
• G20
• fossil
• fuels
• subsidies
• subsidy
• coal
• oil
• gas
• petroleum
• kerosene
• LPG
• reform
• zealand
• OECD