Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly
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Closing remarks to the Briefing of the General Assembly on Science-based Evidence in support of Sustainable Solutions
7 February 2023
[As Delivered]
Thank you very much indeed.
Please allow me to be a little more political than former closings.
What we heard today, many times, “science-policy-society interface” – that is exactly what we are doing now. That is exactly what we are developing now, together with you.
We have some more months to make this “product” workable at the UN-level but we started, you started – and many thanks for our briefers, scientists and you who participated.
Today, we deliberately addressed very sensitive, very difficult issues which were causing quite a lot of challenges for you, negotiators, in the earlier session, and which will probably cause some challenges in upcoming meetings.
But, what can be considered a takeaway is first and foremost that science is an important support for your deliberations if we apply the methodology and data correctly.
My other takeaway is that diplomats and scientists must work together.
We have to create this space in this house.
Not only once in a year, but on a regular basis.
And we have to create the institutional support for that.
My third takeaway is that the moment we in the GA start applying science and scientific methodologies for decision-shaping – a miracle happens.
The miracle that we were talking about conflicts, contradictions, controversies, or huge challenges, crises… and when we apply the scientific data and methodology, we start talking about solutions and opportunities.
That’s exactly why this Organisation has been created.
My fourth takeaway would be that when we start working together like today, it is an opportunity to develop further our multilateral approach and multilateral solutions.
If we take the same data as a point of departure, it is much easier to find multilateral solutions.
Let me give you my fifth takeaway, which is related to the water issues – what we heard today.
And let me start with the bad news, that we crossed the planetary boundaries.
If you wish, we are in a red zone.
But, as we heard today, more than once, there is a way back. There are solutions.
If we apply the proper methodology and use the proper data.
There is a huge global, political, economic, societal challenge – what we created – and that does not allow us to do anything else than to take the scientific evidence on the ground, and then of course political decisions will have to bear the main responsibilities.
But those responsibilities and risks will be mitigated if we take the verified scientific evidence on the ground.
Let me go to my next takeaway.
There was a very interesting proposal: that we should create, in the GA, in the UN, a global collaboratory for water, science and diplomacy.
I would expand it. Beyond water.
For water, sure, we need it – because we are in the middle of the crisis.
But we need a constant, constantly working scientific support for our deliberations in the GA.
Let me just react with one sentence on the finances.
Yes, we all know how important this is. We all know that all our conferences boil down to the issue of how much?, by whom?, for whom?
Today, I hope we all heard the message: the issue is two-fold.
Of course: how much?
And more importantly, or at least as important as that, how are we spending, for what are we spending?
For me, it was very “lesson full” what Johannes and others briefed us on today – that while we are spending huge amounts of money globally on water infrastructure, creating a lot of new values and in the meantime, annually we are destroying one trillion dollars’ worth of ecological services.
It is much more than what we need to solve all water issues in the world.
So here comes the other point: we have to learn to factor in all externalities and science is very, very, essential to help us understand.
Last but not least, as offered by some scientists, the briefers of today, together with my team, will prepare for you an info-package on the key data, key figures and key deliberations we heard today. And we are going to distribute it electronically to all missions, to help your work in the weeks and months to come.
Finally, I would like to thank all our friends, scientists and supporters. And I would like to thank my team and particularly Johannes Cullmann for putting together and opening our eyes on a couple of issues which hopefully will help us all during the forthcoming weeks and months when we enter the difficult part of the negotiations.
Thank you very much indeed.
