Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
23 June 2022
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It was an honor to be invited to this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. This is a first for a President of the General Assembly.
I thank the Government of Rwanda, and the Government of the United Kingdom, together with the COP26 Presidency for organizing this event, and I commend your efforts to promote reflection on the outcomes of COP26, and to make progress on key climate commitments we have made.
This includes meeting our goals relevant to the Glasgow Climate Pact, to reduce coal usage, and to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius target alive.
These efforts must be part of both our long-term endeavors to reduce carbon emissions, and to generate momentum as we look towards COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
The CHOGM’s theme this year is not just timely, it is urgent.
While we continue to grapple with the impacts and rebuilding efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis continues unabated.
We urgently need solutions if we are to meet our targets and keep our promises, not only to each other but to future generations as well.
Friends,
Today, we will discuss a range of critical issues, including the urgent need for countries to take immediate climate action. And we will discuss how we can propel and leverage our creative capacity and ongoing innovation to meet our climate targets.
We must keep in mind that vulnerable countries such as LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDs, have been forced to divert many of their resources towards recovery from the pandemic. That is why we also need to discuss strategies to increase climate financing, so that those countries can simultaneously continue efforts to recover from the pandemic and to become more climate resilient.
These are challenging tasks, but I remain optimistic.
My Presidency is one of Hope. Although our world is rife with inaction, inequality, and injustice, we must remain hopeful.
As I have continued to reiterate, we have the capacity to meet all our climate commitments. We have the ingenuity, we have the resources, and we have the technology. We can transition to renewable energy sources, we can reduce emissions, and we can preserve our earth and its ecosystems. All that is required is political will.
The reason I remain hopeful is that, despite the challenges, and the cynicism of years past, I have seen progress in my lifetime.
The 1.5°C target used to only be a concern for Small Island Developing States, but the world has since joined forces around this goal; it is now a core target for many Member States. This, to me, is progress.
COP26 in Glasgow galvanized momentum in key areas that need collective work: upholding the 1.5°C target, communicating ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, doubling climate finance towards adaptation and resilience, and completing the Paris rulebook.
To reiterate, we must continue to build on these goals as we move towards COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, and beyond.
Alongside our commitment to keep our 1.5°C target alive and efforts to mitigate climate change, the international community launched the Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh work program, introducing the global goal of adaptation.
I commend the progress in outlining the scope, institutional arrangements, objectives, and activities of the work program to be concluded by COP28, for the first Global Stock take.
Building on what we learnt and committed to at COP26 and keeping in mind the reality of climate change that we have witnessed in the last year alone, I encourage Members States to submit ambitious NDCs at COP28.
I am hopeful that Member States will reaffirm their shared commitment to combat climate change and promote the development of sustainable, innovative solutions.
I thank you.
