Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Dennis Francis,
at the GA-ECOSOC joint one-day dedicated thematic event, El Niño 2023-2024: Actions for the safety, sustainability and resilience of people and the planet
30 April 2024
[As Delivered]
Your Excellency, Paula Narvaez, President of ECOSOC,
Mr. Navid Hanif, Assistant-Secretary General of UN-DESA,
Ms. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the WMO,
Ms. Paola Albrito, Acting Special Representative, UNDRR,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to the President of ECOSOC – my co-organizer – as well as UN-DESA, UNDRR, and WMO, for their robust support in organizing this important event, in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 78/152.
The El Niño Southern Oscillation, commonly referred to as El Nino, has been a source of extreme weather patterns globally – ranging from droughts in the corridors of Central America to floods in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, and across the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa.
These extreme weather events have the effect of undoing decades of developmental progress – compounding the especially already dire situations of LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, all of which are particularly vulnerable to external shocks.
Many other disaster-prone countries, in Africa and elsewhere – including middle-income countries, with specific characteristics, such as being archipelagic or having extensive coastline are equally exposed.
The affected countries face challenges, including limited access to climate and disaster risk finance – the need for which often greatly exceeds their capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
In all this, it is the most vulnerable communities that pay the indefinite price – as they are unable to escape the clutches of poverty or achieve food security, when recurrent floods, storms, and droughts repeatedly ravage their territories.
As we ponder addressing the effects of El Niño and La Niña globally, we should also admit our collective responsibility in exacerbating these undesirable extreme weather conditions – through human-induced climate change.
The latest report of the WMO underscores this issue, highlighting that 2023 was the warmest year on record – a direct consequence of the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
While the 2023-24 El Niño – one of the five strongest ever recorded – is now gradually subsiding, its effects will persist; influencing global climate patterns in the coming months, and compounding the heat trapped by greenhouse gases.
In alignment with our broader efforts to mitigate the climate crisis, it is essential that we mobilize adequate resources to bolster our state of preparedness and the accompanying response mechanisms – accompanied by enhanced political will to address the disasters triggered by El Niño and minimize their impact.
Adequately investing in impact-based forecasting and early warning systems is critical to achieving these objectives.
Equally vital is capacity-building, data sharing, and technology transfers – which are indispensable in safeguarding vulnerable populations from the threats posed by these climate phenomena.
El Niño transcends national borders and requires a unified response from countries, relevant Government stakeholders – working with affected communities.
Siloed approaches will not bear any fruit.
It is also absolutely crucial that coordinated efforts involve the United Nations, regional and international organizations, civil society, the private sector, academia, and the scientific community to effectively mitigate the risks associated with El Niño.
The upcoming SIDS4 Conference in May 2024, and the postponed LLDC3 Conference, among other upcoming major events, provide ideal opportunities for a strong call to address El Niño’s impacts – and to consolidate partnerships among all stakeholders, around this common cause.
Moreover, understanding the interconnectedness of the challenges we face is critical.
Beyond its environmental and climatic repercussions, El Niño’s financial cost impact on infrastructure – particularly in tourism-dependent countries – can cause irreversible economic losses, and derail developmental progress.
The interconnected impacts for other sectors of the economy, and the disruptions to global supply chains – as well as the urgent need for comprehensive multistakeholder efforts to address them – was highlighted during the first-ever General Assembly Sustainability Week, which I convened earlier this month.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
As I conclude, I cannot emphasize more that it is imperative that we learn from this El Niño event – as an ongoing challenge for us to make unprecedented changes for survival of our societies.
We must focus on both preventing, preparing for, and mitigating the effects of climate change – while acknowledging that those least responsible for it often bear the greatest burdens; and we must act urgently to redress that injustice.
Our investments must prioritize the most vulnerable – transforming their lives so that they are empowered and are self-sufficient.
Given the urgency to act, I welcome today’s dedicated thematic event – as an important opportunity to generate action-oriented recommendations to address the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the 2023/24 El Niño phenomenon on affected countries.
I eagerly anticipate the insights and deliberations that will emerge from today’s discussions – which will also serve as inputs for the Secretary-General’s report to the General Assembly for its seventy-ninth session.
I thank you.
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