– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Tijjani Muhammad Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
20 May 2020
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I thank the organizers of today’s online high-level meeting on Biodiversity. As the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are becoming increasingly aware of the fragility of our way of life.
This global health challenge is putting unprecedented strain on our health systems and economy, deepening inequalities and hitting the most vulnerable the hardest.
We face a dual challenge as the existential threat posed by biodiversity loss and climate change has not receded. As the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development illustrates: all of these issues are interconnected. The continuing loss of biodiversity and ecosystem change increase the risk of disease emergence and spread among people, animals and other living species. Furthermore, deforestation is a leading contributor to climate change.
Hunger has been on the rise for the past three years. Prior to the disruption caused by the coronavirus, there were eight hundred twenty-one (821) million people undernourished and two billion people experiencing malnutrition.
Food security is being undercut by biodiversity loss, desertification and shocks due to climate change. Three-quarters of the world’s crops are dependent upon pollinators, with these tiny insects contributing more than five hundred seventy-seven (577) billion US Dollars to the global economy. And yet the numbers of these insects, which form the foundation of global food security, are collapsing rapidly.
We must take urgent action to halt biodiversity loss – including among insects and pollinators – just as we must save one million animal and plant species that face imminent extinction.
This year marks the beginning of the Decade of Action and Delivery for the Sustainable Development Goals and is a ‘super year’ focused on nature.
Nature-based solutions have the capacity to protect, sustainably manage and restore both natural and modified ecosystems. Moreover, nature-based solutions can address the challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, and food and water security. We cannot delay taking action towards systemic change if we are to insure our future as humanity and halt biodiversity loss.
The UN Summit on Biodiversity is the key moment to build political momentum and commit to ensuring progress to achieve the 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in line with the 2030 Agenda.
Nature-based solutions have the capacity to protect, sustainably manage and restore both natural and modified ecosystems. Moreover, nature-based solutions can address the challenges posed by climate change, natural disasters, and food and water security. We cannot delay taking action towards systemic change if we are to insure our future as humanity and halt biodiversity loss.
There is still time, Excellencies, to reverse our loss of nature, but we must act now.
I call on world leaders, the private sector, and civil society to chart the way forward. A whole-of society approach is required to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services, and advance nature-based solutions for people and planet.
I urge leaders to recommit to the Paris Climate Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We have a shared responsibility to secure a healthy planet, for humans and for all forms of life without which humanity cannot survive.
Excellencies,
On this International Day for Biological Diversity, let us commit to prioritising nature-based solutions at all levels as we build back better. I am confident that together, we can create an inclusive, resilient and sustainable world for all.
I thank you.
