Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As a co-convenor of this conference, I welcome you to these high-level discussions on how to strengthen synergies to address these two critical areas: climate action under the Paris Agreement, and the sustainable development goals, our agreed blueprint for the future we want.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Government of Brazil for hosting us, and for their leadership in presiding over the G20 process and the upcoming COP 30.
I also thank the Governments of Denmark and Japan for their support in hosting previous synergy conferences and spearheading this approach.
The present outlook on climate change and the sustainable development goals is dark.
Emissions continue to rise and the last 12 months have been the hottest on record, with devastating impacts.
Only 17 per cent of the SDG targets are likely to be achieved by 2030, with one third stalled or even regressing.
The Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy, recently concluded that, “we must solve the climate emergency and sustainable development challenges together, or we will not solve them at all. ”
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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Their reports show that over 80 percent of the SDG targets are directly linked to climate.
Thankfully, momentum is building.
Governments and experts alike are increasingly recognizing the need for integrated solutions.
The global stocktake at COP28 highlighted the critical importance of the SDGs in achieving climate goals.
In the declaration at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development this year, ministers committed to enhance synergies towards effective climate and development policies and actions.
The time to act is now—our future depends on it.
We in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs are committed, along with UNFCCC secretariat, to continue deepening the analytical work on these synergies; building capacity through these global conferences; and elevating the political importance of this issue.
The drive to accelerate synergistic action can and must inform commitments made at the Summit of the Future, COP29 in Azerbaijan, and the Financing for Development Conference in Spain next year.
Let's commit to tackling climate change and to the transformative changes needed to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The future of our planet and people depends on the actions we take today.
Thank you.