Your excellency, Ambassador Pirkka Tapiola, Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives
Ambassadors, and colleagues,
This year of extreme hardship continues. The extreme hardship of heatwaves, of wildfires, of droughts such as what we are seeing here in the horn of Africa; the extreme hardship of rising food and fuel prices; the extreme hardship of debt distress; and of conflict in Ukraine and indeed other parts of the world. My heartfelt sympathies to the people of Pakistan where 33 million people face the aftermath of a once-in-a-100 year flood. And as the floodwaters recede, this country which has done so little to cause the climate crisis, looks to a disaster which is only beginning.
Excellencies, I have travelled to Thailand from the 77th UN General Assembly high-level week which concluded in New York last week. Against the backdrop of extreme geopolitical divisions, we saw a strong call to restablish international solidarity. We saw a powerful call to transform education. We saw the first ever financial pledge of support for developing nations that have experienced losses caused by climate disruptions. We saw concrete solutions to implement the Global Accelerator on Job Creation aiming to create 400 million new jobs. We saw renewed commitment from world leaders as we enter the home stretch of negotiations on the post-2020 global biodiversity. We saw expressions of high ambition for the upcoming global negotiations towards a global agreement to end plastic pollution.
I pleased to note the outcomes of recent discussions at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Dakar. Loss and damage was front and centre of discussions in Senegal, with AMCEN calling on developed countries to fulfil the promised finance commitments and for COP27 to set an ambitious new goal for 2025, including Loss and Damage and a Just Transition financing framework to support developing countries. And, I salute African countries for their commitment to eliminating open dumping and burning of waste. This is a landmark step towards guaranteeing the health and well-being of Africa’s people.
Excellencies,
We are one minute to midnight on many fronts this year. COP27 on climate, COP19 on CITES, and COP15 on biodiversity are all important opportunities to reinvigorate multilateralism. I assure you, we at UNEP are in over-drive as we seek to meet the needs of a planet and people in emergency.
Allow me to reflect on my expectations for each of these moments briefly.
At COP27, I urge the world to strengthen 2030 climate pledges. Ahead of the deadline of September 23, only 23 countries that signed the Glasgow agreement had submitted updated climate plans to the UNFCCC. This is disappointing yes, but I remain hopeful that it can be done. As UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2021 made clear, we are looking to a temperature rise of 2.7 °C. I do not need to remind you excellencies that the devastation we are seeing in Pakistan is on a planet 1.1°C warmer than pre-industrial levels. I also expect that loss and damage compensation and climate financing will be front and centre of discussions and this is an area in which United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has spoken loud and clear.
At COP19 in Panama to protect endangered species, I urge leaders to reinforce the safeguards of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna. Parties will review over 50 proposals for increase or changes in the level of trade regulation for various animals and plants species.
At COP15, I urge Member States to battle through almost 1800 brackets on the text, to land at an ambitious agreement that tackles head on, the drivers of biodiversity loss. This means addressing overexploitation, pollution, fragmentation and unsustainable agricultural practices. And backing our actions with money on the table.
Allow me to spend a few minutes on pollution, which will also be a key focus this quarter.
The first part of the Fourth meeting of the intersessional process considering the Strategic Approach and sound management of chemicals and waste beyond 2020 held in Bucharest put us on a welcome track as we seek to achieve a planet safe from chemicals and waste pollution. A critical journey follows as we work towards adopting a new framework in 2023. My appreciation to Romania for generously hosting this meeting, and to stakeholders that contributed to this successful face-to-face meeting. We look forward to the second part of this fourth meeting in Nairobi in early 2023.
And last but certainly not least, Uruguay is set to host the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, at the end of November this year. This will be preceded by a multi-stakeholder forum to ensure that voices from across the spectrum weigh in. Preparations for the meetings in Punta del Este are well underway and, after a major sprint, we expect to make available all documents in UN languages in mid-October. Meanwhile, at the UN General Assembly, I joined Rwanda and Norway as they launched the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution by 2040. I know this group of like-minded countries will play an important role in the negotiation process and in shaping the ambition of the instrument, while also aiming at universal ratification.
Excellencies, we continue to focus on implementing many of the resolutions passed at UNEA. Earlier today, you had the opportunity to zoom in on resolutions pertaining to sustainable nitrogen management, Global Environment Outlook and nature-based solutions. But work is proceeding on all resolutions and the detailed progress notes on the papersmart portal and the reporting and monitoring portal will provide a full picture on implementation of all resolutions. But let me be very clear. The implementation of these resolutions requires resources and we are not where we want to be here. Where there is synergy with the Programme of Work, Environment Fund resources are being used. Or else we are tapping into seed funding from the Environment Fund and extra budgetary resources. But under-funded will mean under-delivered. I am extremely grateful to countries that have already contributed to funding resolutions and I call on others to follow. The Secretariat will not be able to implement resolutions without your support.
Turning to a big milestone moment we can all be very proud of: More than 5,000 people including heads of states; the UN Secretary-General, Ministers; representatives from indigenous and youth groups; scientists; civil society and UN agencies gathered in Stockholm to commemorate 50 years since the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. We saw complete consensus that the triple planetary crisis is threatening the achievement of the sustainable development goals. We saw deep engagement with youth groups. We saw frank exchanges on the need to rebuild trust. We saw a clear call for urgent action culminating in a 10-point agenda for action, renewal, and trust. For UNEP, the ask now is to take forward the Stockhom+50 agenda with Member States and the rest of the UN because there is clear recognition that a healthy planet is a prerequisite for peaceful, cohesive and prosperous societies. My thanks to the governments of Sweden and Kenya for their leadership.
I am also pleased to report on the successful resolution of a topic to which I had previously drawn your attention. The OECD Development Assistance Committee has continued to recognize UNEP’s strong support to developing countries by retaining UNEP’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) co-efficiency rating at 100 per cent. This review is expected to stand for five years before any subsequent evaluations and ensures that donor contributions to UNEP are considered 100 per cent ODA. My deep and sincere thanks to Member States for their strong and deep leadership on this topic.
A word on the upcoming ninth annual subcommittee. Our focus will be on important issues including UN reform process; implementation of the programme of work and budget in the regions; implementation of UNEA outcomes; delivery of the MTS; operational efficiency and effectiveness; and consultations on the UNEA 6 theme. The sub-committee will also allow us to take a deep dive into UNEP’s financial outlook and funding needs.
And finally, a word on Ukraine where UNEP continues to support remote environmental impact monitoring initiatives to build a picture of environmental impacts. UNEP is now working on a detailed proposal to accelerate assessment work. This work will be in response to the government of Ukraine’s request for both short-term and longer-term support from UNEP, including assessment support (methodologies), technical support (satellite imagery analysis, information systems, laboratory analysis) and broader governance capacity development.
Excellencies,
As I mentioned earlier, we are one minute to midnight on many planetary emergencies. But the optimist in me believes we can change course. As Kenya’s new President William Ruto noted at the General Assembly, “I fully agree with the Secretary-General’s statement that we have a rendezvous with climate disaster. I add that we must not be taken by surprise. If indeed forewarned is forearmed, this is our opportunity to mobilize with tremendous urgency and take action at once.”
Thank you
