Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to join this side event on climate change and water under
COVID-19.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was launched in 2015 to end poverty and build peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies on a healthy planet. However, the progress of the 2030 Agenda remains uneven and we are not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically set back progress towards the SDGs. But, we have found that those countries that had already incorporated SDGs in their developmental priorities and plans were much more resilient to external shocks.
In his vision statement for the next five years, the UN Secretary-General highlighted an imperative, “Turbocharging the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and advocating for a more equitable world”.
The Decade of Action launched in 2019 has accelerated the progress of the SDGs, calling on all sectors of society to mobilize actions on three levels:
- Global action to secure greater leadership, resources and solutions for the SDGs;
- Local action to embed the required transitions into policies, budgets, institutions and regulatory frameworks; and
- People action by all stakeholders to generate an unstoppable movement pushing for the required transformations.
In addition, a web-based UN SDGs Partnerships Platform was created, and it now hosts over 5,000 SDG implementation actions. The Platform encourages all Member States and stakeholders to share their knowledge and good practices and enhances their capacities.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction are closely interlinked through the medium of water.
In many parts of the world, climate change continues to exacerbate the frequency and severity of natural disasters, which affected more than 39 million people in 2018 and disrupted their lives and livelihoods.
It is estimated that by 2050, the number of people at risk of floods will increase from its current level of 1.2 billion to 1.6 billion. From the beginning to the middle of the previous decade, 1.9 billion people lived in potentially severely water-scarce areas. In 2050, this number is estimated to increase to 2.7 to 3.2 billion people.
To combat climate change and related issues, the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is critical for stepping up investments in many areas including low-carbon and climate-resilient development.
To this end, the United Nations has been advocating for the developed world to fulfil its commitment to annually mobilize $100 US billion dollars to meet the needs of developing countries. Furthermore, 50 per cent of total climate finance must be spent on building resilience and adaptation, up from 20 per cent now.
Dear participants,
The UN Conference on the Midterm Review of the Water Action Decade scheduled to be held at UN Headquarters in March 2023 is an opportunity for the international community to transform the management of water and achieve the water-related SDGs.
In March this year, the “High-level Meeting on the Implementation of the Water-related Goals and Targets of the 2030 Agenda” was convened by the President of the General Assembly at the UN as the first milestone towards the 2023 Water Conference. The participants of the Meeting highlighted that adaptation to climate change through water should be strengthened, including through disaster risk reduction and ensuring food security. Partnerships for sustainable water management at all levels are also encouraged in the areas of capacity building, technology transfer, knowledge sharing and innovation.
We expect that planned regional and global meetings on water leading to the 2023 Water Conference will keep this momentum of climate and water discussion and contribute to accelerating the water-related SDGs for a resilient, inclusive and sustainable society.
I thank you.