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Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

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Dubai,

October 4,? 2021

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Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA,

Ms. Christian Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Climate Change,

Excellencies,

It is a pleasure to address the ¡®Climate and Biodiversity Week¡¯ of Expo 2020¡¯s World Women¡¯s Majlis.

I would like to congratulate the United Arab Emirates for hosting the World Expo 2020, a showcase of the best of humanity ¨C the pinnacle of creativity and innovation.

With the theme, ¡°Mother Nature¡¯s First Defenders: Women leading the fight to save our planet,¡± today¡¯s forum, hosted by the Women¡¯s Pavilion Programming, in partnership with World Majlis, brought together insightful ideas and perspectives focused on one central theme: saving our planet with women at the helm.

What better way to present these ideas than through ¡°majlis,¡± one of the cornerstones of the Emirati civilizations.

And what better message to send to women and girls, and boys and men, than to showcase women leading the fight against climate change.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

The symbolism of today¡¯s event should not be overlooked; women are both disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and underrepresented in the very fields needed to tackle the crisis.

And the irony is that women are the more successful environmental activists.

Research shows that nations where women have higher political status tend to have lower CO2 emissions per capita. ?

Yet, women comprise less than 30% of the world¡¯s climate and biodiversity researchers, only 38% of the world¡¯s national delegation in environmental governance, and only 12% of heads of environment sector ministries. *

Given their high performance, it is clear that empowering more women and girls to be researchers, to be leaders ¨C both politically as well as in the fields of climate science and research ¨C offer immense opportunities. ?

As we aim to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees and collectively aspire to achieve gender equality, a stronger showing of women¡¯s leadership on the climate, biodiversity and environmental files is a win for all involved.

So how do we do this?

• First, we have to put women at the center of all climate resilience approaches.

As it is, women and girls are responsible for collecting water in almost two-thirds of households in developing countries. As such they hold crucial knowledge of local water systems and have the know-how to provide stewardship for these resources. Let us leverage this.

• Second, we have to focus on building climate resilience strategies.

?These strategies should not only address the unique experiences and needs of women, but also value their knowledge, skills, and potential in finding individual solutions.

For instance, up to 80 percent of the population in many developing countries rely on traditional, plant-based medicine. Women often have a more specialized knowledge of local plant species, acting as critical guardians of biodiversity. Let us draw on this local knowledge and empower their ability to conserve biodiversity.

• Third, we must promote women¡¯s meaningful participation through more leadership and key decision-making roles in climate action platforms and processes.

As I have said as both Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives and as President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly ¨C we need more women in our ranks and in positions of power.

For the Maldives, I am proud of the parity we have achieved at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; As PGA I have also strived for and achieved parity in my Office: as for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as a whole, much more remains to be done, but trust that I will champion this each day of my presidency.

Colleagues, to implement these approaches, we need transformative strategies and innovative solutions to create a gender-equal future.

The leadership of women on the frontlines of climate action must be recognized and acted upon.

With political will through collaborative action, I am optimistic that these ideas will lead to an inclusive, sustainable, and gender-balanced future for all.

Trust that I will carry this message forward, particularly at the High-level event on Climate Action that I will convene on October 26^th in the General Assembly.

This event aims to spotlight innovative solutions, raise our climate ambition, and support efforts to arrive at COP26 with comprehensive, immediate, and effective solutions at our disposal. Women¡¯s role in climate action will be central to these efforts¡¯ success.

After all, it was the diligent, determined diplomacy of a woman leader, Ms. Figueres, that steered the Paris agreement through stormy waters to get us where we are today.

Colleagues, it was truly a privilege to join you at this ¡°majlis¡± of innovative ideas and women leaders. I very much appreciate the chance to hear from you today.

I thank you.

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*(Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵFCCC, 2019).