Poland Vanishes From Maps For 123 Years

[Anthony]

Pointingto intensified calls by youth leaders for action on climate change, she said that 2019 must be a year of climate action at all levels. Drawing inspiration from the thousands of students worldwide demanding tangible action, she called on world leaders to make 2020 the last year carbon emissions increase due to human activities. To achieve these goals, people worldwide must change their patterns of consumption, she said, noting that, every year, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted as some 2 billion people suffer of hunger and malnutrition.

Pointing to agents of change, he stressed the importance of the role of women as key decisions makers, adding that the summit will assemble Governments, the private sector, local authorities and other organizations.

The General Assembly then held a fireside chat of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Moderated by Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the Convention, it featured Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji; Michał Kurtyka, Secretary of State at the Ministry for Energy and Environment of Poland; and Carolina Schmidt, Minister for Environment of Chile.

Ms. ESPINOSA, noted that, as in a family, the parties had experienced disagreements but that discussions were ultimately successful, laying the groundwork for the Twenty-fourth Conference of the Parties to the Conference, which took place in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018, and the Twenty-fifth Conference, to take place in Santiago, Chile, in December 2019, known as COP24 and COP25, respectively. The process had demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and ready to address the challenges of climate change, but there is no time to lose, she said.

Mr. KURTYKA, who served as President of COP24, responded that in its wake global climate governance is in place, but implementation is the new direction. People, technology and nature are the three elements involved in change. He highlighted the people-centred approach emerging from Katowice and called for a just transition that leaves no people behind, pointing towards the upcoming climate action summit in New York and COP 25 as key moments in addressing the issue.

Ms. KING said climate change can bring devastating consequences to small island developing States. The direct impact of climate change hits the poorest nations hardest as they lack resources to properly mitigate the phenomenon. She said a number of high-level meetings on climate change are scheduled for September and share the goal of accelerating action towards sustainable development.

PETTERI TAALAS, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), noted the recent Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, Malawai and Zimbabwe, oceans warming by half a degree, and the most expensive hurricane season in Caribbean history, all of which demonstrate a worsening situation demanding action. He highlighted that the past four years have been the warmest in history and greenhouse gases have increased by 2.7 per cent. Meanwhile, only 15 per cent of global energy is sourced from nuclear, hydro and renewable power. Without concrete action, the planet will continue to get warmer. Turning to population growth, he said Africa may have 4 billion inhabitants by the end of the century. Echoing other speakers, he called for more involvement by young people.

LAURA TUCK, Vice-President of Sustainable Development of the World Bank, echoed the call to take steps that positively impact the most Sustainable Development Goals. She noted the importance of addressing the negative effects of new technologies like solar pumps, or how moving from plastic to glass bottles may increase emissions due to transportation.

The representative of Italy said the model of development must be rethought. His country has a national strategy for sustainable development that integrates climate issues, looking all the way to 2050, and two months ago established a Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development in Rome. He noted that Africa continues to be the continent most affected by climate change.

The representative of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) reiterated the need for synergies between climate actions and sustainable development. She said there is a tendency to work in silos, and despite improvements in including gender requirements in proposals, real implementation of them is lacking.

Ms. SVEDLING said the Swedish Parliament adopted legislation with the aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. In terms of private sector engagement, she said road maps are being presented by business sector representatives outlining climate initiatives. She noted that the European Union is the top provider of development assistance worldwide, with climate initiatives being increasingly integrated into funding priorities. Ms. Svedling said Sates must embed climate action in national budgets in order to establish a clear link with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms. FOUAD said such technologies yield positive results but developing countries require developed States to promote technology transfers to make them affordable. Further, Egypt launched initiatives that provide training for youth on the use of low-carbon technologies as a means to create jobs. The Government is seeking to increase its reliance on green energy sources, including by converting waste to energy. She called for low-carbon technologies to be packaged with favourable financing terms.

Mr. HASSAN said the Maldives has developed a number of programmes to address the impact of climate change. However, lack of resources means such programmes fail to be fully implemented. Among initiatives undertaken in the Maldives is a 2004 conservation project that fostered public-private partnerships to protect one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. The Government has identified a number of atolls where such projects can be replicated and scaled up if the proper development assistance is made available.

NEZHA EL OUAFI, Secretary of State and Ministry of Environment of Morocco, expressed sadness over unprecedented flooding in Malawi and Mozambique, noting no country is spared from climate change today. Morocco established the Marrakesh Proclamation calling for capacity-building and technology transfer. She called for a road map for financing for sustainable development principles. The Climate Centre in Morocco is helping Africa deal with the Sahel region, and the country is researching solar and new types of energy technology. Developing countries require a new quantifiable objective for climate action financing, she stressed.

PRAMISHA THAPALIYA, youth representative of Nepal, said youth will bear the brunt of the intergenerational problem. She noted the current mechanisms for climate finance are not available to youth organizations. Young people make up nearly half of the global population of 7.7 billion but are underfunded in the domain, and the Green Climate Fund must take note to redress the inequity. Nonetheless, young people are already taking significant action with limited resources.

Ms. FOUAD responded to the youth representative that discussions for the Paris Agreement had led to a commitment of $100 billion in climate funding by 2020. She agreed that the Green Climate Fund must increasingly engage youth. Pointing to Earth Hour on 30 March, she said her country, Egypt, is firmly engaged in highlighting that effort by including celebrities and athletes in the programme.

Ms. SVEDLING pointed to a fossil-free initiative in Sweden and the importance of multilayered discussion between unions, businesses, politicians and youth representatives. She highlighted the need for ambitious goals from every sector, including financial.

Ms. CECI responded that those partnerships cannot be forced. She noted a lack of pressure on corporations to advance environmentally sound pension programmes. The Sustainable Development Goals, however, have been very impactful in the corporate world. She added that young people have a lot of power to raise their voices in that domain.

Mr. MANZANARES agreed on the need for a mechanism for a green youth portfolio and green equity fund. He noted that the Green Climate Fund operates in 150 developing countries through a country-driven approach, and every project must have a non-objection from the country. It does not directly fund, but works through, national entities. He encouraged young people to organize and access the Fund.

In Chad, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that the country is grappling with an array of challenges that are driving humanitarian needs. These include the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

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