Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
22 September 2021
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in today’s discussion.
I would like to thank the consortium of partners for organizing this event, as well as commend the Government of Tajikistan for consistently championing issues around water and glaciers.
Amongst the many tragedies associated with climate change is the fact that our glaciers are being lost.
Massive and ancient, able to move entire land masses, glaciers have long represented the sheer power of nature.
And yet, like permafrost and other vulnerable ecosystems, they are receding or even collapsing.
This is not only disheartening, but a threat to the lives and livelihoods of billions of people.
Just a few weeks ago, Greenland saw rain at the highest point of its ice sheet for the first time since scientists have been making observations there. The rainfall coincided with the ice sheet’s recent “melt event”. Compared to the rest of the planet, the Arctic region is warming twice as quickly under climate change.
It is reported that even if we were to significantly curb emissions in the coming decades, more than a third of the world’s remaining glaciers will melt before 2100. When it comes to sea ice, 95% of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic is already gone.
Are we still waiting for a wakeup call?
Excellencies,
The melting has implications for people far away from Greenland. The ice loss is helping drive sea level rise, threatening coastal communities around the world with flooding.
We must act now. We must do more to protect our planet, to preserve our water supplies, and to limit the damage being done to the ecosystems that house our water.
Excellencies,
Amongst the priorities of the 76th session – my five rays of hope – are efforts to recover sustainably from the pandemic, as well as to protect our planet.
With COP-26 only weeks away, and with multiple environmental summits on the horizon, we have an opportunity to reprioritize and focus our efforts.
We can link our recovery from COVID-19 to greener policies.
We can expect private and public partners alike to do their part to reduce emissions.
We can use the opportunity afforded by the pandemic to transform our societies and embrace resilience.
Excellencies,
Let me be clear: there is no scenario wherein we live on this planet without water.
Even in the short-term, the risks of losing water are staggering, risking a rise in conflict, migration, and economic decline.
The 2023 UN water conference must spur ambitious action for implementation of SDG-6 and other water-related international goals.
We must achieve the promise of safe water and sanitation for all by 2030, and UN Water’s SDG-6 global acceleration framework provides a blueprint for just this.
As President of the General Assembly, I support these initiatives and intend to champion environmental issues throughout the 76th session – which will be a ‘super session on the environment’.
As a first step, I intend to host a high-level discussion on the climate in the lead-up to COP-26, to help raise ambition and achieve the goal of keeping temperature rise below 1.5 degrees.
Colleagues, this will be followed by further discussions and actions that bring together our environmental efforts and help secure success.
I thank you again and I wish you a productive discussion.
The 2023 UN water conference must spur ambitious action for implementation of SDG-6 and other water-related international goals.
We must achieve the promise of safe water and sanitation for all by 2030, and UN Water’s SDG-6 global acceleration framework provides a blueprint for just this.
