{"id":253779,"date":"2023-06-05T12:08:17","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T16:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/?p=253779"},"modified":"2023-06-05T12:19:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T16:19:12","slug":"pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

\n

Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si<\/em>,<\/i>\u00a0President of the 77th<\/sup>\u00a0session of the General Assembly<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

—-<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

World Environment Day Commemoration<\/b><\/p>\n

5 June 2023<\/a><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

(As delivered)<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

Mr. Chairman,<\/p>\n

Madame President,<\/p>\n

Assistant Secretary-General Noronha,<\/p>\n

Director of the FAO Liaison Office, Mr. Guangzhou Qu,<\/p>\n

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n

Thank you indeed for offering me this opportunity to share some ideas with you.<\/p>\n

And many thanks\u00a0<\/i>to\u00a0<\/i>C\u00f4te d’Ivoire not only for organizing and leading this event but leading a global drive \u2013 what to do and how to do \u2013 plastic pollution.<\/i><\/p>\n

C\u00f4te d’Ivoire banned the plastic bag nearly a decade ago. My\u00a0congratulations<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Abidjan is now a hub for plastic collection and recovery.<\/p>\n

When it comes to plastic, nothing short of a radical transformation is required.<\/p>\n

And C\u00f4te d’Ivoire is helping to lead the way.<\/p>\n

I think we have a good deal to learn from you.<\/p>\n

As we heard, plastics were extremely useful tools for our development for decades, since the 1950s.<\/p>\n

Because they were cheap, they were light, they were accessible and versatile, and they made economies grow.<\/p>\n

But as we heard from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP President, we\u2019ve also reached a level where plastics, particularly microplastics, are choking our planet.<\/p>\n

Microplastics and nanoplastics are in our soil, our waters, in our bodies \u2013 in our bodies, in our blood vessels, in our brain tissues.<\/p>\n

They are present in our oceans and very high up, in the stratosphere.<\/p>\n

So basically this means that we changed the environment.<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t want that.<\/p>\n

We wanted to use the benefits of plastics but we did not pay enough attention to this side effect and now we have the results.<\/p>\n

By last count, there were an estimated 51 TRILLION microplastic particles in our ocean. That\u2019s 500 times more than there are stars in the Milky Way\u00a0<\/b>Galaxy.<\/p>\n

A pernicious hallmark of our Anthropocene era. It\u2019s a new age.<\/p>\n

The world produces 430 million metric tonnes of plastic each year. And if things don\u2019t change, continue \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d, production is set to triple by 2060.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Unless we take aggressive action against plastic pollution, the transformative promise of our 2030 Agenda will remain just that.<\/p>\n

To tackle the problem of waste, we need the entire lifecycle approach, as we heard already from the two video interventions. Including plastic waste.<\/p>\n

There are no physical laws that would prevent us from reusing plastics by 300 per cent \u2013 that means reusing plastic three at least, as science stands today.<\/p>\n

But for that, we need to depart from a \u201cthrow away\u201d culture to a more circular economy.<\/p>\n

One that relies steadfastly on science \u2013 from data collection and policy making to the implementation of best practice.<\/p>\n

In this line, this past March, the General Assembly held a high-level meeting on Zero Waste as a transformation solution in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n

Once again, I want to congratulate the countries that initiated that initiative and would like to invite all countries to implement all objectives pursuant to this resolution.<\/p>\n

I applaud the historic decision of the 2022 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Assembly to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution by 2024.<\/p>\n

Also have to acknowledge that this this is one of the shortest timeframes ever agreed and a strong sign that Governments are serious about solutions.<\/p>\n

The shortest timeframe, but actually the timeframe available for us is the shortest in the time of history to change the course of history.<\/p>\n

I trust that political leaders will now show the maximum solidarity and flexibility to complete the process on time.<\/p>\n

I also welcome Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEA\u2019s agreement to create\u00a0<\/i><\/b>a science policy panel on chemicals and waste \u2013 another truly history making move.<\/p>\n

I truly hope that it will be completed, it will be done and it will be operational very soon.<\/p>\n

This platform will bridge a critical gap, enabling scientists and policymakers to inform each other on effective ways to manage chemicals and waste and prevent pollution.<\/p>\n

Because preventing is always much cheaper than mitigating effects of pollution that are already taking place already.<\/p>\n

Importantly, it will complement existing science-policy platforms on climate change and biodiversity at the IPCC \u2013 rounding out the scientific picture on all three aspects of our triple planetary crisis.<\/p>\n

So I am trying to tell you that we are still having a missing link on the scientific support in the sustainability transformation.<\/p>\n

I would like to see that science policy interface up and running as early as possible.<\/p>\n

As with all things worth doing, funding will be the key.<\/p>\n

I trust that sufficient resources will be provided to ensure this mechanism operates at the pace and scale needed to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

Today it may look \u2013 and it does look \u2013 like a very costly project to reduce plastic pollution.<\/p>\n

But when we learn how to define the measurement of sustainability development and apply what we call today going Beyond GDP, it will reveal how much net values we will create by then.<\/p>\n

As we bump up against planetary boundaries, less bad is simply not good enough.<\/p>\n

Now is the time for Governments, cities, businesses and other organizations to unite around a just transition to a circular economy for plastic.<\/p>\n

To consider total impacts of production and consumption decisions.<\/p>\n

To drive a broader systems changes and to operate for the long-term benefit of the world\u2019s 8 billion people.<\/p>\n

I thank you very much indeed for this opportunity.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m very much looking forward to your deliberations. And I\u2019m absolutely looking forward to the results of the processes launched by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEA.<\/p>\n

You have my full support.<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si,\u00a0President of the 77th\u00a0session of the General Assembly —- World Environment Day Commemoration 5 June 2023 (As delivered) Mr. Chairman, Madame President, Assistant Secretary-General Noronha, Director of the FAO Liaison […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly\r\n\r\n----\r\n\r\nMessage on the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO)\r\n\r\n7 April 2023\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn this World Health Day, I congratulate WHO on its 75th anniversary.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOver the course of its history, WHO has contributed to landmark achievements in public health, including the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio and the expansion of childhood immunization, saving millions of lives.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nMore recently, WHO has played a key role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped galvanise the most complex vaccination campaign in history. Time and again, WHO has proved that investing in science lies at the heart of reaching our objective of a healthy and prosperous future.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHowever, the pandemic has disrupted essential health services in most of the countries, shortened life expectancy, and halted progress towards universal health coverage.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHalfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must redouble our efforts to achieve its goals. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAs we prepare for the upcoming high-level meetings on health in the General Assembly, let us seize this opportunity to reconfirm our collective pledges and chart new pathways for a healthy and sustainable future.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn this day and every day, let us commit to achieve Health for All.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[624],"class_list":["post-253779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","tag-world-environment-day","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\nPGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si,\u00a0President of the 77th\u00a0session of the General Assembly ---- World Environment Day Commemoration 5 June 2023 (As delivered) Mr. Chairman, Madame President, Assistant Secretary-General Noronha, Director of the FAO Liaison […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"General Assembly of the United Nations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steven Viju Philip\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steven Viju Philip\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steven Viju Philip\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa\"},\"headline\":\"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":996,\"keywords\":[\"World Environment Day\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Statements\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/\",\"name\":\"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/05\\\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/\",\"name\":\"General Assembly of the United Nations\",\"description\":\"President of the 77th session\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa\",\"name\":\"Steven Viju Philip\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steven Viju Philip\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.un.org\\\/pga\\\/77\\\/author\\\/steven-philipun-org\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations","og_description":"Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si,\u00a0President of the 77th\u00a0session of the General Assembly ---- World Environment Day Commemoration 5 June 2023 (As delivered) Mr. Chairman, Madame President, Assistant Secretary-General Noronha, Director of the FAO Liaison […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/","og_site_name":"General Assembly of the United Nations","article_published_time":"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00","author":"Steven Viju Philip","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steven Viju Philip","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/"},"author":{"name":"Steven Viju Philip","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/#\/schema\/person\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa"},"headline":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration","datePublished":"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/"},"wordCount":996,"keywords":["World Environment Day"],"articleSection":["Statements"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/","url":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/","name":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration - General Assembly of the United Nations","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-06-05T16:08:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-05T16:19:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/#\/schema\/person\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/06\/05\/pga-remarks-to-world-environment-day-commemoration\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PGA remarks to World Environment Day commemoration"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/","name":"General Assembly of the United Nations","description":"President of the 77th session","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/#\/schema\/person\/5023a3e992d3ff96de578367d1f34eaa","name":"Steven Viju Philip","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b7eeae8bb41e490d2a19a2c055de1ab0ba39eabe8944aeed22a41f41b9d8e1a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steven Viju Philip"},"url":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/author\/steven-philipun-org\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253779\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}