“Climate Change: a many-sided, urgent and growing threat” by the Geneva International Model United Nations (GIMUN)

Ms. Anouk Peytremann [President of GIMUN],
Mr. Matteo Fetz [Vice-President of GIMUN],
Dear students and friends:

Happy UN Day!

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Palais des Nations. I am happy that it has become an annual tradition for GIMUN to commemorate the Charter of the United Nations with us here. I thank you for your commitment to raise awareness about the principles and values of the United Nations, and for your efforts to bring youth perspectives in search of solutions to the many challenges the world is facing today. Last year, for the UN’s 70th anniversary, I spoke to you about challenges and perspectives in the context of the 2030 Agenda that had just been adopted. The adoption of this Agenda, along with other important policy frameworks, opened a new positive chapter in the life cycle of the United Nations and of all of us on our ailing planet.

Today we celebrate the 71st anniversary of the Charter and of the United Nations Organization. Do you know that there is no words like “climate”, “environment” or “planet” in the United Nations Charter? Nevertheless you decided to celebrate the Charter by discussing climate change, and in my opinion, it is more than a timely choice!

Climate change, caused by natural and human-induced factors, is the greatest challenge of our times that affects us all. Over the last two centuries, due to the Industrial Revolution and changes in land use, human activities have become a major source of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, challenging the balance of our ecosystem. A warming effect, which is driven primarily by emissions of carbon dioxide, is causing shifts in weather conditions as evidenced by changes in temperature, precipitation, winds, and other indicators. Environmental, social, and economic consequences of climate change have a far-reaching negative impact on many aspects of our lives, such as health, security, food production, access to water, to name but a few. Climate change causes natural disasters and forced displacements. It affects everyone, but it impacts disproportionately the poorest and most vulnerable. This is all very bad news, in particular for your generation.

At the same time, there are some positive signs. We have all finally agreed that the way we live is destructive for our planet and for the future of humanity, and that it is only by addressing climate change that we can build a sustainable world for everyone. We have moved beyond doubts and hesitation. We have become serious about targeting root causes of the problem. It is a huge task because we need to transform all our systems - energy, industry, transport, food, agriculture and forestry. We also need to adjust our way of life, adapt, mitigate and build resilience to the current and future impacts of climate change.

We are getting ready for this challenge. As mentioned, important policy frameworks have been agreed upon unanimously last year by world leaders to address this and other challenges. In addition to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Agenda for Financing Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement were adopted by our Member States. Combined, this collective roadmap for humanity puts us on the path towards a sustainable world for future generations. Issues related to climate change are at the core of this roadmap.

With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development all countries declare to protect our planet from degradation. This would mean sustainable consumption and production, management of natural resources and urgent action on climate change. Goal 13 on climate change envisages five specific targets to be met by all countries within fifteen years. They aim at: (1) strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries, (2) integrating measures into national strategies and planning, (3) improving education and awareness raising, (4) mobilizing funds to address the needs of developing countries and operationalizing the Green Climate Fund, and (5) raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth, and local and marginalized communities.

Since their adoption over a year ago, the Sustainable Development Goals have been embraced by all actors in society. States are leading in pushing the new global agenda forward, and they do it with force and motivation. The first round of voluntary national reviews by 22 countries took place in July this year at the High-Level Political Forum, and earlier this month the SDGs were referred to in almost every speech at the opening session of the UN General Assembly. SDGs have become a key reference point for global action just within one year. Governments are integrating the global goals into national development plans, identifying areas where they need to do more, and determining how they can support others. At the United Nations, it gives us a framework to rethink and improve the way we work among various UN entities, and between Headquarters and the country teams. Better horizontal cooperation at all levels and across issues, with a more integrated, collaborative and inclusive approach needs to, and will, become the new norm. Civil society, the private sector, academia, think thanks and media are increasingly being included in this process.

The landmark Paris Agreement on climate is another reference point for global action. It will enter into force next week. It took only ten months after the agreement was adopted, to attain the two conditions required for its entry into force, namely that at least 55 States accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions ratify it. It is remarkable how fast this has happened. Without a doubt, a historical first! As you know, this agreement aims at strengthening the global response by taking measures to keep a global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit even further, to 1.5 degrees. It also envisages measures to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the effects of climate change in a transparent manner through appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity building framework.

Last week, a global deal to limit the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) was reached. These greenhouse gases used for refrigeration and air conditioning contribute to global warming. The new agreement is another important step in the global efforts to combat climate change as it will give us the opportunity to reduce the warming of the planet by another half a degree.

These agreements on climate action did not happen overnight. It took time, from the Earth Summit in 1992, through the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and many other meetings and discussions to arrive to where we are now, and to make us all work in the same direction, towards the same objective.

Development and climate change are interlinked. Climate change is as much a social and political issue as it is an environmental and economic one. Renewable energy technologies and innovative policies that simultaneously promote gender and social entrepreneurship are essential for transition to sustainability. Policies that engage affected populations actively in planning and implementation yield better results. Social innovations that allow civil society actors to organize, mobilize and participate are really important in achieving the objectives the 2030 Agenda.

With the blueprint for action, we have the unique opportunity to adjust our structures and systems at all governance levels to address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges effectively. These efforts require the new mind-set and a new working-culture that I spoke about earlier as we attempt to radically change the way we operate. Everybody is implicated, and everyone has a role to play - Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society, academia, think tanks, and the private sector. I am convinced that with the help of the United Nations family and with the required political backing and resources we will be able to deliver on the Global Goals over the next 15 years. We have the knowledge, the resources and the human capital to do so.

With your presence here, you show that you care about your future and that of our planet. When discussing the threat of climate change today, I encourage you to think about your contribution to addressing this challenge and implementing our collective framework for action. What can you do as civil society actors, as students, as individuals? I encourage you to learn more about the global frameworks for action. I encourage you to discuss with your friends, relatives and fellow students so that we can build solidarity and motivation in achieving our objectives. I encourage you to get engaged and to take action. Change starts with every single one of us. Turn off the lights, close the water tap, think before printing, recycle, take public transport, bike or walk. Sounds familiar? There are things anyone can do at home, in the neighbourhood, at places of work and study, everywhere! Simple things we can do as individuals, when combined, bring us toward a common objective and help to achieve change. This is our planet, it is our duty to preserve it and to shape the sustainable world of tomorrow.

I thank GIMUN for organizing this event today and for mobilizing support for the UN objectives. I look forward to the discussion.