Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York,
October 26, 2021
Excellencies,
I would like to thank everyone for joining and participating today.
We heard from a vast array of Member States and stakeholders, offering us a wealth of diverse views and recommendations. I hope that this leads to the development of strategic and productive partnerships, we need to achieve our goals.
Colleagues, I would like to highlight several takeaways from the discussions today.
First, while many economic sectors and industries have taken action to align their activities with the goals of the Paris Agreement, we nonetheless continue to lag.
The Fireside Chat, in particular, highlighted the road to COP26 and the sectors and industries that require further effort.
I intend to pursue strategic outreach throughout the 76th session in order to lay the groundwork for more partnerships in these lagging sectors.
Excellencies,
I am encouraged that today we heard about solutions to address 4 interlinked bottlenecks to achieving climate action. Specifically, gaps in financing, skills, technical capacities, and whole-of-society mobilizations.
First, on financing, the message is loud and clear: developed countries must fulfil their pledge to make 100 billion dollars of financing available annually to fund the global green transition. And gaps already incurred can and should be added on to upcoming transfers. We must target $1 trillion in financing by 2030, if not more.
One solution put forward quite frequently was the need to tie funding from COVID-19 to a green/blue recovery. This I stand wholeheartedly behind. While the UN Environment Emissions Gap Report notes that we are not on track to achieve this, there is still time to change course. I appeal to Member States to utilize this rare opportunity for transformation.
In this regard, it has been encouraging to see more Member State announcements on Net-Zero targets, including from oil-exporting states. I look forward to working with all member states to keep the 1.5 degrees target alive and pledge my support to all efforts to accelerate implementation.
Excellencies,
The private sector manages more than USD 210 trillion in assets. Although trillions of dollars have been announced as dedicated to climate investments in recent years, we need greater clarity on how the impact of these investments is being measured, so we can best support and augment these efforts.
Second, in terms of ensuring the right skills are available for transitions to a green/blue economy, we must scale up efforts to train people in emerging technologies, particularly the world’s 1.8 billion young people.
A green transition is not possible without the right tools and skills, this requires planning for and investing in re-training at all levels, including our education systems.
This will not only prepare our youth for new green jobs, but it will also allow us to turn every single job into a green job, including through transforming supply chains and procurement practices.
The fate of the world’s children is in our hands. To that end, I implore you to sign the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, which was placed on your desks in the General Assembly hall today.
Finally, when it comes to green technical capacities, we must upscale global cooperation, technological transfer, and joint research and development as never before.
Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank each one of you for your participation and for contributing to the positive and constructive narrative that reaffirms the notion that we can achieve our climate ambitions.
I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to the UN Secretariat for their consistent support, to the UN System partners present here today and virtually for the work they do, and to each of the participants – public, private and CSO alike – who have brought their knowledge, expertise and lived experiences.
We simply cannot afford to look at climate change as someone else’s problem any longer.
What happens next door, in our neighbourhoods or elsewhere, affects us all.
We need a whole of society approach. We need partnerships that work to accelerate climate action in our homes, in our communities, and in our countries.
Distinguished Members, Glasgow awaits us. Let us not disappoint.
The hopes of millions rest on our ability to deliver on the pledges that we have committed.
Together we can make this happen. Let’s deliver for the planet.
I thank you.
Throughout our disarmament efforts, it is my conviction that women and youth can make a meaningful contribution. Let us take special pains to ensure that women and youth, as well as civil society, are more actively engaged in this work going forward.
