H.E. Ms. Annika Strandhäll, Minister for Climate and the Environment of Sweden
Mr. Mosves Abelian, Under Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management
H.E. Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya
As the Secretary-General of the Stockholm+50 international meeting, I am deeply honoured to join co-hosts, the governments of Kenya and Sweden as we raise the UN flag today.
Fifty years ago, the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment put the environment on the global map. The conference marked the beginning of dialogues between countries on human well-being, development, poverty reduction and environmental protection. The conference spurred environmental action in almost every country in the world. And the conference heralded the birth of the United Nations Environment Programme, the agency I am so proud to lead, and which serves as the environmental conscience of the world.
We have travelled far since Stockholm. Much has changed. Much has improved. But we are here because we know the job is nowhere near complete. We live in a time of unprecedented challenges. Our planet is reeling under the impacts of a triple crisis – of climate; of biodiversity loss; and of pollution and waste. And with every hit we take, development gains are erased, impacting the poorest and most vulnerable amongst us.
Stockholm+50 is a critical opportunity for leaders to draw on 50 years of multilateral action to achieve the bold and urgent action needed to secure a better future on a healthy planet. It is indeed befitting that this gathering is hosted by Sweden and Kenya who have long been trailblazers of environmental multilateralism. In 1969, amidst rising calls for greater environmental cooperation between nations, Sweden raised its hand offering to host a global conference on the human environment. In 1972, Kenya raised its hand offering a home to the newly created UN Environment Programme. In so doing, we saw the establishment of the first United Nations headquarters in the global south, a badge we at UNEP have worn with honour for 50 years.
As we stand here proud to watch the UN blue flag rising, let us be reminded that the UN blue stands for peace, for security, for human rights and dignity for all; for freedom; and for development. All these principles are grounded on a healthy environment. Stockholm+50 must give us new ways to accelerate the transformations that are critical to achieve a healthy environment and accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. Through its open architecture, this conference, and the world we build beyond it, must show that everybody has a voice and a role to play. So, I thank you for your commitment to achieving this vision. And I look forward to the next two days!
