Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

2 June 2022

 

His Majesty Carl Gustaf, King of Sweden,

 

Her Royal Highness Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden,

 

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya,

 

Her Excellency the Prime Minister of Sweden,

 

Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

 

His Excellency the Secretary General of the United Nations,

 

His Excellency, the President of ECOSOC,

 

Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme,

 

Excellencies,

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

We meet here, half a century following the historic Stockholm Conference in 1972. The legacy of that conference still endures.

 

It launched the United Nations Environmental Programme.

 

It started the conversation around human impact on the environment.

 

Its discussions and outcomes have provided a template for every major environment programme, every major climate and environment related international treaty since then, from Rio to Kyoto to Paris.

 

And it continues to inspire new generations of activists and policymakers who cherish our earth, and work to protect its climate and ecosystems.

 

I commend Sweden and Kenya’s leadership role in hosting this conference and for providing us this space to reflect, to review, and to recommit to bolder action.

 

Excellencies,

 

Today, we confront many interlinked global crises – from geopolitical, to environmental – which have once again illustrated the deep correlation between human progress and prosperity, with a healthy environment.

 

Our ability to resolve these crises, and to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is directly linked to our ability to address the planetary challenges we face.

 

As an example, the pandemic’s disruptions to the global economy and to supply chains affected our livelihoods, our food security, and our well-being. Yet, as the climate crisis continues, and grows exponentially in scale and severity, our ability to effectively address those consequences further diminish.

 

Our food systems worldwide are struggling under the strain of climate-induced consequences and the destruction of ecosystems. Drought, soil erosion, desertification, the loss of biodiversity, including marine life, and the depletion of crucial natural resources, are only some of the issues we confront. We owe it to our own children and grandchildren, to do much better.

 

Excellencies,

 

Let us face the truth: human progress cannot occur on an earth that is starved of its resources, marred by pollution, and is under relentless assault from a climate crisis of our own making,

 

Thirty years ago, in 1992, when I was a young diplomat, I was privileged to attend the Rio Summit – a summit, as you all well

know, that was a result of the same Stockholm conference we are commemorating today.

 

It is true that since then, we have still not properly repaired our relationship with nature. However, I still retain that sense of hope that was kindled in me at Rio. I have kept that hope alive by reflecting on the progress I have witnessed in my lifetime.

 

For example, the 1.5-degree target was once only a priority for Small Island Developing States; yet now the whole world has converged around the urgency of meeting that target. I salute the work of the Alliance of Small Island States in championing this cause for the past 32 years.

 

And just recently we agreed to start working on an ambitious and legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

 

We are seeing global, regional and national initiatives take shape – such as the African Green Wall, the Middle East Green Initiative and many more.

 

These initiatives and accomplishments give me hope, but to deliver on that hope they must be integrated into a much broader effort. These commitments must be followed by action.

 

We need greater coordination than ever if we are to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees target, if we are to safeguard humanity and this planet’s future, and if we wish to protect our biodiversity, restore life to degraded land, and tackle pollution and achieve circular economies.

 

We need solutions that address the common bottlenecks affecting the entire environment agenda, which will in turn accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and promote resilient and sustainable recovery from the pandemic.

 

Excellencies

 

Stockholm+50 provides us an opportunity to rekindle the sense of urgency that will be needed to save our planet and leave its climate and rich biodiversity intact. That is the bare minimum we owe to our youth.

 

Many of them are participating in this conference. They have begun to take matters into their own hands, because they know what is at stake. We need to follow their lead. I am inspired by today’s earth-conscious younger generations. By their sincerity, commitment, and energy.

 

It is their spirit we must emulate if we want to conserve our environment and ecosystems. If we want to temper our raging climate. If we truly care about the world that we leave for our children to inherit.

 

Excellencies,

 

Stockholm+50 is a critical milestone to accelerate a new kind of multilateralism, one geared towards a sustainable future— as envisioned in the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda.

 

I look forward to the outcomes of this meeting, and hope that they will be weaved into General Assembly discussions, and future global processes, such as the upcoming Ocean Conference, the Education Summit this September, and the Summit of the Future next year.

 

I will also be convening a ‘Moment for Nature’ in the General Assembly on the 19th of July. This will be a Moment for the membership, and the wider community of stakeholders, to reflect on the outcomes of the multiple initiatives and conferences that have taken place this year, and to reflect on how to achieve greater synergies and cohesion across the environmental workstream.

I hope it will ignite fresh resolve on the part of all states and stakeholders and mobilize a whole of government and whole of society approach.

 

By working together, we can indeed fully resolve the planetary challenges we face.

 

I close with those sentiments, and I wish everyone participating, a very successful conference.

 

Thank you.