The world's poorest countries on Friday asked for more help to meet vaccination and quarantine requirements as well as costs to ensure they can take part in next month's global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
The talks aim to spur bigger commitments to start reducing man-made greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and keep the rise in the global average temperature since pre-industrial times to well below 2°C, to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi of Bhutan, chairman of the group of the 46 Least Developed Countries, said: "Delegates from the LDC Group remain concerned about the logistics of getting to Glasgow.
"Our countries and our people are among the worst affected by climate change – we must not be excluded from talks deciding how the world will deal with this crisis, determining the fate of our lives and livelihoods."
About 20 LDCs such as Ethiopia, Haiti, and Bangladesh are on Britain’s coronavirus red list, which means their delegates will have to quarantine in a hotel for up to 10 days before attending the Cop26 talks, which run from October 31 to November 12.
Britain says it will pay the quarantine costs of officials from red-list countries and has cut the time to five days for those who are vaccinated.
It says it is distributing Covid-19 vaccines to delegates struggling to obtain them.
Climate Action Network, a coalition of more than 1,500 environmental groups, on Tuesday called for the talks to be postponed because of delegates' difficulties in obtaining vaccines. The group said Britain was being slow in providing the vaccines promised and many countries were likely to miss out.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
