Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
Dubai,
October 4, 2021
Excellencies, friends, ladies, and gentlemen,
I thank the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and DP World for facilitating this important meeting, at a time when the climate crisis has become more urgent than ever before.
When we talk about climate change, we can no longer afford to indulge the delusion that we are talking about a distant threat that policymakers can negotiate at their own pace. We are talking about an angry mother earth knocking at our doorstep, RIGHT NOW reminding us that she does not negotiate.
We cannot deny what is happening right in front of us. From raging wildfires, unpredictable weather patterns, storm surges, soaring temperatures, colder winters, draughts, sea-level rise – the effects of human-induced climate change are clear for all to see.
It is our responsibility to acknowledge the severity of the situation.
Having said that, it is also our responsibility not to give into cynicism or to lend credence to the argument that climate tragedy is an inevitability. Such attitudes and approaches are counterproductive.
Rather, we must follow the lead of today’s remarkable youth and keep faith in the power of optimism and hope. Hope, when combined with action and change, is a winning formula. Let us embrace it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I see the young faces gathered here today, filled with so much passion and enthusiasm, and it reminds me of why I embarked on this Presidency of Hope.
As global leaders we are accountable to each and every one of you; the world we create, the world we leave behind, will be yours.
I see you acting on your conviction that your actions make a difference, and it reminds me of our responsibility to support your efforts to save the planet. We must all search within ourselves to find that same conviction of action.
These are not just words. I come from the Maldives, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries on the planet. I appreciate the importance of urgent climate action for the sake of securing a brighter future for our younger generations, at a very personal level.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That is why I will be convening the international community to focus on innovative solutions next month at a High-Level General Assembly Event on the climate. This meeting aims to RAISE our climate ambition and support efforts to arrive at COP26 with comprehensive, immediate, and effective solutions at our disposal.
Solutions that will ensure that the rise in global temperatures is kept under the 1.5-degree Celsius limit. Solutions that will allow us to reach our target of cutting global carbon emissions in half by 2030 – thereby achieving an important milestone in our race towards zero emissions. Solutions that will do right by our mother earth and by our young daughters and sons.
My friends,
I will continue to advocate for a greener recovery from COVID-19, to ensure that we do not return to business as usual after the pandemic.
To that end, I call on wealthy countries to deliver on their promise five years ago to provide $100 billion every year in climate funding for developing countries, with half of these funds going into immediate climate adaptation purposes. Climate adaptation can be aligned with sustainable recovery!
If you want actions and change – that is a big first step.
Ladies and gentlemen, in solving the climate crisis, the cumulative actions of individuals making climate-responsible decisions can indeed have a positive impact. However, strengthening our partnerships and harnessing our collective energies will greatly amplify our ability to make a difference.
Let us do that now.
Let us come together and reaffirm our commitment to solving this climate crisis.
Let us put our faith in science and reason, share technologies and invest in climate friendly innovation.
Let us empower our young change makers who are working so hard to make a difference.
Let us leave here having energized each other, and with plans in hand on how to engage our all communities – at school, in our families and friendships and jobs, everywhere – to do right by our mother earth.
I will be with you every step of the way.
Thank you.
We must follow the lead of today’s remarkable youth and keep faith in the power of optimism and hope. Hope, when combined with action and change, is a winning formula. Let us embrace it.
