“The world has much to learn from the Pacific and must step forward to support their initiatives,” the president said on Monday. Secretary General of the UN, referring to that region as a beacon of solidarity and strength, of environmental management and peace.
Speaking at the opening session of the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, António Guterres highlighted the ancestral knowledge of the sea held by island communities in the region and lamented that humanity treats the ocean like a sewer, suffocating marine life with plastics, and acidifying and heating its waters, accelerating its rise in level.
By declaring a climate emergency and pushing for action, “Pacific Islands are showing us the way to protect our climate, our planet and our ocean,” he said.
Among other forms of struggle, the youth of the region They brought the climate crisis to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and have recognized that this is a security crisis and have taken steps to manage those risks together, he said.
A model for the G20 and the world
Guterres also highlighted the aspirations of those nations to transition to a fossil fuel-free Pacific, and argued that this ambition “is a model for the G20 and for the world.”
“But The region urgently needs financing, capacities and technology substantial to accelerate the transition and invest in adaptation and resilience,” he stressed, however, when governments sign new oil and gas licenses, they are giving up on our future, he added.
In this regard, he recalled that it is necessary reform the international financial architecture, massively increase the lending capacity of multilateral development banks, implement debt relief programmes that work, including for middle-income countries in difficulty, and undertake further redistribution of special drawing rights, to the benefit of developing countries and, in particular, small island developing States.
Simple plan
The UN chief insisted on the simplicity of the plan. survival of the planet based on a fair transition to phase out fossil fuels, which are responsible for 85% of greenhouse gas emissions.
He reiterated that all countries must develop national climate plans to be presented next year, in line with the maximum limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming with respect to pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
“The G20 (responsible for 80% of these emissions) must step up its efforts and take the leadphasing out the production and consumption of fossil fuels and stopping their expansion immediately,” he stressed.
Leadership
Guterres said the decisions world leaders make in the coming years will determine the fate of Pacific islanders before that of the rest of the world.
“If we save the Pacific, we will save the world“, he said.
Before closing, he pointed out that the Pacific island states have the moral and practical imperative to bring their leadership and voice to the world stageadding that the Future Summit, to be held in New York next month, will be an opportunity to reform and update global institutions so that they are fit for the world of today and tomorrow.
In conclusion, he urged the Pacific Island States to take advantage of this opportunity to make their voices heard loudly because The world needs your leadership.
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