I commend the organizers for convening this important Conference on Climate Change.
The world has witnessed dramatic impacts of climate change, most recently the extreme weather events in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. Climate change knows no national boundaries.
The United Nations has played a crucial role in bringing nations together to address climate change and find solutions for mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
In the late 1980s, the United Nations launched the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); The 1990s saw intensified efforts - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted in 1992 and its Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997. Another historic landmark achievement is the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
These three key UN documents, along with sustainable development goal 13 on climate in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, provide the foundations for increased cooperation to fight climate change.
The UN High-level political forum on sustainable development, a central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, will address the climate goal in 2019.
An effective response to climate change will require robust and efficient communication of its concepts and consequences to all levels of society, from policy makers to private sector and civil society and to the public at large.
Such robust communication can be instrumental in properly shaping the perceptions of stakeholders and motivating them to take action in a collective and collaborative manner. The mass media and social media can likewise play a critical role in getting the message across to peoples from all walks of life, sensitizing all stakeholders to the urgency of the matter and the need for prompt action.
Let us join hands and act now. We don’t have a Planet B and we don’t have a Plan B. Our only hope is to work together in the spirit of true partnership for climate action. We owe this to future generations.
I wish you productive discussions and fruitful outcome.
Thank you.
The world has witnessed dramatic impacts of climate change, most recently the extreme weather events in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. Climate change knows no national boundaries.
The United Nations has played a crucial role in bringing nations together to address climate change and find solutions for mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
In the late 1980s, the United Nations launched the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); The 1990s saw intensified efforts - the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted in 1992 and its Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1997. Another historic landmark achievement is the Paris Agreement, which was adopted in 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
These three key UN documents, along with sustainable development goal 13 on climate in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, provide the foundations for increased cooperation to fight climate change.
The UN High-level political forum on sustainable development, a central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, will address the climate goal in 2019.
An effective response to climate change will require robust and efficient communication of its concepts and consequences to all levels of society, from policy makers to private sector and civil society and to the public at large.
Such robust communication can be instrumental in properly shaping the perceptions of stakeholders and motivating them to take action in a collective and collaborative manner. The mass media and social media can likewise play a critical role in getting the message across to peoples from all walks of life, sensitizing all stakeholders to the urgency of the matter and the need for prompt action.
Let us join hands and act now. We don’t have a Planet B and we don’t have a Plan B. Our only hope is to work together in the spirit of true partnership for climate action. We owe this to future generations.
I wish you productive discussions and fruitful outcome.
Thank you.
File date:
Saturday, September 23, 2017