2nd July, 2019
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms Amina Mohammed, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, called for “unequivocal’’ global response to climate change and funding gaps.
Mohammed made the call at a preparatory meeting in the buildup to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit billed for Sept. 21 in New York.
“The Climate Action Summit is not about negotiations for an outcome document. It is about raising ambition and accelerating action. We can no longer afford any delay.
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has spelled it out. And so have the young activists who are taking to the streets in growing numbers.
“They want action, not words. When we reach the Summit, our response must be unequivocal,’’ she said.
The UN deputy chief emphasised that plans announced and initiatives launched must be clearly practical, viable and help to meet set objectives.
“That means limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and building resilience to the changes that are to come.
“The proposals must also bring with them the political leadership and determination with the means of implementation to make them a reality, she added.
Mohammed acknowledged the efforts of multi-stakeholders working together to develop initiatives capable of transforming economies and societies.
These, she said, include plans to make cities, which are responsible for 70 per cent of global emissions, greener, and to deliver on the Secretary-General’s call for no more coal‑fired power plants by 2020.