Source: United Nations secretary general
My presence in the Pacific Forum is essentially an expression of solidarity with the Pacific Islands. They do not contribute to climate change. They are in the first line of the negative impacts of climate change with dramatic consequences for their populations. I visited Samoa and I saw communities that had to move because of sea level rise. Sea level rise is now double than what it was in the 90s and with a rate of increase that is unparalleled in the last 3,000 years. And as you know, many small island developing states are constituted by atolls. They are extremely vulnerable to sea level rise.
And so, I want to express very clearly, together with the Pacific countries, that those that are creating climate change and 80 per cent of the emissions come from developed countries. Eighty-five per cent of emissions come from fossil fuels that they need to change. They need to take seriously climate action, phasing out fossil fuels, and adopting all the measures necessary to reduce drastically the emissions in the present decade.
On the other hand, Pacific Island States are also vulnerable from the economic and financial point of view. They are very small, very far away from each other, and far away from big markets. They suffered the impact of COVID that reduced their tourism income. They have very high costs, and the international financial architecture was not built to support this kind of vulnerable developing countries. It was essentially created by developed countries to serve mainly the interests of developed countries. And so, another very strong message is to say how much we share their concerns with the needs to reform the international financial architecture and to make much more funds available to developing countries allowing them to invest in adaptation, in the protection of their populations, and at the same time, to create the conditions for them to be able to have the resources that are necessary for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. To address their concerns on education, on health and all the basic interests of their populations.
The world is a world that today is built in a way that I would say targets the Pacific Islands. Victims of climate. Victims of unfair international financial architecture. Victims of the enormous difficulties that their geographic situation creates to their development. And so, we must mobilize the international community for a very strong expression of solidarity with the small island development states in general and with the Pacific Islands in particular.
Question: Can I ask you, you’re in New Zealand, the New Zealand government since coming into office last year has reversed a ban on oil and gas exploration, that runs countrary to what you’ve just talked about. Did you bring up that? Did you discuss that with the New Zealand Prime Minister? And what were your thoughts on the reversal of that?
Answer: No, today we did not discuss the ban on oil and gas. The only thing I can tell you is that the oil and gas that will be discovered from now I’m absolutely sure it will never be used. Thank you very much.
