Statement by H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Minami
Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations
At the High-Level Meeting
“Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Agenda”
23 March 2017
H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General,
H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the 71st UN General Assembly, Ms. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UNFCC,
Excellencies,
At the outset, I would like to welcome the initiative of the President of the General Assembly to address “Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Agenda”. All of us present here are cognizant of the fact that Fiji is the first Pacific Island nation to preside over the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. Japan fully supports Fiji’s dual presidency of the General Assembly and the COP23, which is a perfect combination to further our collective endeavors on climate change and the SDGs.
Climate change is the thirteenth goal of the SDGs, but at the same time, the handling of this issue will affect the outcome of all seventeen goals of the SDGs. We welcome the initiative of the Secretary-General to pursue an integrated approach among the various UN organizations under his strong leadership to tackle this cross-cutting issue.
Mr. President,
Because of climate change, the international community faces many problems, including resource competition, migration, extreme weather events and disasters, food insecurity and conflicts induced by water shortages. However, the influence of these phenomena will not be evenly distributed around the world. Based on the idea of “no one left behind”, as emphasized in the 2030 Agenda, we need take the most vulnerable countries into consideration.
Unless addressed effectively, climate change is expected to aggravate the suffering and plight of the world’s most vulnerable people, as well as those who have limited means of adapting to the changing environment. This is precisely the reason climate change is often described as a “threat multiplier”. Therefore, Japan is of the strong view that all Parties of the Paris Agreement must continue to strive for its steady and successful implementation, maintaining the momentum built at the COP22 in Marrakesh. As of today, countries and organizations covering more than 82% of world’s total GHG emissions have deposited the instruments of acceptance of the Paris Agreement. In this regard, Japan would like to emphasize the importance of the implementation of the nationally determined contribution by each country, especially with the strong leadership of large GHG emitting countries. Likewise, Japan believes that the adoption of the rulebook of the Paris Agreement by 2018 is imperative.
Japan is collaborating closely with other countries toward the successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. For instance, Japan and Brazil co-chaired the Informal Meeting on Further Actions against Climate Change in Tokyo on March 9th and 10th in order to promote active discussion and cooperation among Parties toward the negotiations of COP23. Japan will spare no effort to cooperate and collaborate with other countries in the future.
Mr. President,
Last but not least, gender is another dimension that shows the multi-faceted nature as well as the challenges posed by climate change. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls¾the fifth goal of SDGs¾are key factors in addressing issues such as natural disasters and food security, issue which are greatly exacerbated by climate change, as women are so often in charge of care giving and agriculture. By mainstreaming gender equality in the context of climate change, we can take an integrated approach to addressing various goals of the SDGs at once.
The United Nations, with its continued focus on the 2030 Agenda, will undoubtedly play a central role in furthering international cooperation for robust action against climate change. We should all do our utmost through national, regional and international efforts to address this global challenge. Japan will certainly be an active partner in this endeavor.
Thank you for your attention.
