Statement by the President of the UN General Assembly on the entry into force of the Paris Agreement
4 November 2016, United Nations, New York On the occasion of the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on 4 November 2016, the President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Peter Thomson issued the following statement:
“On this historic day, I extend my congratulations to the 97 Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Convention who have ratified the Paris Agreement, and have made possible its early entry into force.
We now have momentum, but this is no time for complacency. In our collective efforts to scale up climate action, we must be must more ambitious in our targets. Climate change recognizes no borders. In 2016, people around the world are experiencing its significant impacts every day. The increasing CO2 levels, record global temperatures, extreme weather events and rising sea levels will only worsen well into the future if we don’t take urgent transformative action. We only have a few more years to bend the curve, before we lead ourselves and future generations into dire circumstances.
Today’s entry into force of the Climate Change Agreement is a historic moment for humanity. It presents hope over despair. If implemented, it will result in sustainability for our species upon this planet. It constitutes a fundamental basis for collective climate action and is a key step in attaining the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Climate change undermines the ability of countries to achieve and maintain sustainable development. It represents an existential threat to large swathes of humanity. The implementation of the Paris Agreement is therefore critical if we are to overcome this extraordinary challenge and provide sustainable opportunity to present and future generations.
I look forward to working with all relevant stakeholders in COP22 to be held this month in Marrakech. We must work to secure more carbon reduction and finance pledges, ramp up ratifications and ambition, and strengthen the collaborative spirit that has brought the Paris Agreement into being,” said President Thomson.
“As a Fijian, I am honoured that my country was the first to ratify the Paris Agreement. As President of the U.N. General Assembly, I am pleased that other Member States have done the same at an urgent pace. But more than this, as a father and grandfather, I am overjoyed that the international community has recognized the severity of the situation and agreed to a common strategy that makes possible a sustainable way of life on this planet by addressing the fundamental challenge of climate change. The momentum provided by the Paris Agreement must be maintained with a global sense of urgency,” he added.