The Road to COP27
Pacific Climate Dialogue with UK COP26 Presidency- Closing Statement
Dr Filimon Manoni, PIF Acting Secretary General closing statement
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen.
· Good afternoon and let me thank the UK Government for this opportunity to deliver closing remarks on behalf of Secretary General Puna, who is unable to join us for this important dialogue.
· Today’s dialogue, in partnership with the One CROP Plus Team, is another example of active engagement by the COP26 Presidency to progress Pacific priorities for urgent climate change action.
· The people of our Pacific Islands Forum nations are no strangers to the devastating impacts of changing climate. They know it. They live it. They have been sounding the alarm for years.
· From rising seas, king tides, severe flooding and ravaging cyclones, emissions are rising. Temperatures are rising. The urgency is rising.
· Our current trajectory of a 2.4 degrees world will deliver devastation for our Blue Pacific way of life and our natural and our marine environment.
· Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we must change our course. We must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. All countries – and especially the big emitters – must act with ambition and must act now. We need it for the sake of humanity, for the generations to come. Action, ambition, doing all that we can and then doing more. That’s why we are here.
Reflections on COP 26
· Allow me to offer some reflections on COP 26. We can all attest that last year was extremely difficult. The undeniable evidence of a global climate in crisis, along with the ongoing impacts of the COVID19-pandemic.
· Let me join others in congratulating the UK for successfully convening COP 26. Similarly, I commend our Leaders, Political Climate Champions and
Pacific delegates that were on the ground at Glasgow – leading the charge in advocating and negotiating our regional climate change priorities.
· I would also like to thank Pacific civil society and youth - for raising our voices and bringing attention to the impact of climate change on our island communities, on women, on youth and on people with disabilities.
· In support of our Leaders and the One CROP Team efforts, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum and secretariat team were in Glasgow. And we will continue to support our Leaders and Champions, to amplify our advocacy for COP 27. We look to the UK and Egypt, as incoming COP27 president, to utilise the expertise of our Climate Champions, and importantly, to ensure COP 27 includes the voices of the most vulnerable communities on this planet we all share.
The Road to COP 27
· Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, COP 26 left me in no doubt that the world is coming to grips with the impending climate catastrophe, that the science is real, and that limiting global temperature to 1.5 degrees remains humanity’s best hope.
· But we fell short on delivering the much-needed action to address the climate code red. We are not yet on track to meet the 1.5 degrees target. We did not secure the promised $100 billion per year. Pacific Island countries and others on the frontlines of climate change urgently need these resources for mitigation and adaptation.
· And so, we begin the road to COP 27. This will be the first COP to track the full implementation of the Paris Agreement. We remain optimistic, we will work harder, we will raise our voices towards the big emitters and developed countries and strengthen our partnerships across all sectors. We must, because there is only one imperative before all of us today. It is to resolve the climate crisis.
I would also like to take this opportunity to call upon the support of our development partners to make a pledge towards the Pacific Resilience Facility, endorsed by our Leaders in 2019. The PRF is a beacon of hope for our Pacific people. It is a solid and collective promise to our people that we are fiercely committed to strengthening the resilience of communities across the Blue Pacific.
· Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the race to net zero 2050 began with the Paris Agreement in 2015, and the starting lineup in 2020. We know this is a race where dropping to the sidelines is not an option. For our one Blue Pacific to win, we all must cross the finish line together-- as one Blue Planet.
· I thank you. --ENDS
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