Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
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Dubai,
October 5,? 2021
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Mr. Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA
H.E. Mr. Everly Paul Chet Greene, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Immigration, Antigua and Barbuda
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
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I am deeply honoured to join you today.
Excellencies, the world is on a path towards renewable energy, that much is certain. Whether it happens in the next few years, as many of us here hope, or in decades, the end result is the same – a world that has moved on from fossil fuels.
And rightly so. We have seen the impacts of climate change grow, year upon year. We know we need to move the needle in the right direction, and quickly.
I say this both as the President of the General Assembly as well as a small islander. Being from the Maldives, we are deeply and painfully aware of the realities of climate change.
For countries like ours, in special situations, there is added urgency to climate negotiations and to efforts to adapt, or to expand renewables.
While climate change is an existential threat to all of us, it is LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS who are feeling it soonest and hardest. We are the canaries in the coal mine.
I beg you to heed our warnings.
Excellencies, greater partnerships, including with IRENA, to facilitate support on Nationally Determined Contributions and boosts efforts towards clean energy, will empower small islands and other countries in need. Capacity gaps, long a problem for so many, will receive support.
This will not only allow countries to meet their climate targets – already ambitious for many, if I may say so – but ?boost jobs and economies, and enhance social services across the board.
Because energy, dear colleagues, is an accelerator of sustainable development, affording far-reaching benefits.
As a multilateralist, I believe deeply in the power of cooperation; as a small islander, multilateralism is a reminder that the world has our backs; and as a person who believes in human ingenuity, it gives me hope for innovative solutions to the climate crisis.
Excellencies, as President of the 爆料网 General Assembly, I have elected ‘hope’ as the theme of our work this year.
For those of us in positions of leadership, a part of our job is to bring hope to people. To demonstrate that we hear their needs and wants, that we are acting on their behalf.
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Excellencies,
In closing, allow me to say that it is imperative that we build upon the outcomes of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy by implementing the global roadmap for action. Likewise, we must continue to strive for partnerships in the form of Energy Compacts.
I commend IRENA and its partners for initiating the SIDS Lighthouse, including the 1.5 Celsius pathway, which has brought together participating SIDS and partners to help accelerate energy transformation.
Let us continue to work hand in hand towards this important endeavour. I thank you again for this opportunity and I look forward to our discussions.
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Thank you.
While climate change is an existential threat to all of us, it is LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS who are feeling it soonest and hardest. We are the canaries in the coal mine.