Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel has told Eyewitness News he is honoured to be included on the United Nations’ climate change panel.

The advisory group will be headed up by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ethiopian leader Meles Zenawi.

The panel will be tasked with raising and allocating funds for developing nations to combat climate change.

"This particular task... is a huge, huge, huge responsibility - it is in fact the challenge of our time."

Manuel said in order to meet goals reached in Copenhagen during last year’s Climate Change Summit financing to fight global warming was essential.

He said the high-level group will need to balance the demands of securing funding for developing countries, while making sure that other UN funding is not compromised.