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Remarks by the President of the General Assembly<\/b><\/p>\n
H.E. Dennis Francis<\/b><\/p>\n
At the High-Level Panel: Enabling People Positive Adaptation Journeys, at COP28<\/b><\/p>\n
Dubai, UAE<\/b><\/p>\n
2 December 2023<\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heads of State and Government,<\/p>\n
Excellencies,<\/p>\n
Distinguished Participants,<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I should like to thank my co-host, the Director General of IOM, with whom \u2013 in collaboration with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility \u2013 we are delighted to welcome you to this important event.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
While we are all here, at COP28, hoping for ground-breaking commitments to create a surge of renewable energy and reign in emissions on the other, \u2013 to reaffirm the all-important goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees \u2013 the reality is that even in this scenario, we still face a warmer, more volatile, more unpredictable planet.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Climate adaptation is therefore a pressing necessity.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Indeed, the ability to adapt can mean the difference between life and death; between lost infrastructure and resilient social systems; between economic hardship and inclusive, sustainable growth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is a necessary investment that quite simply pays for itself \u2013 many times over.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet, as is too often the case, we are not deploying or disbursing sufficient resources where we know, and I repeat \u2013 we know \u2013 they are needed most.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mitigation still absorbs the lion\u2019s share of climate financing \u2013 which itself is still insufficient in the grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And what money there is for adaptation rarely reaches those on the frontlines \u2013 communities bearing the severest brunt of the impacts of climate change, with limited means to respond.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
This must change.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the macro-level, we must make adaptation financing more abundant, and above all, more accessible.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And on the micro-level, we must work with people and communities to develop locally sourced, contextually appropriate adaptation solutions that address climate-induced problems or challenges.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In essence, we need to recommit to people-centered adaptation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
That means involving people from the very start in formulating when policies and resources \u2013 as communities should be given a chance to determine their future.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
This includes women and girls, young people, indigenous peoples, older persons, and those who are differently abled.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it means equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to survive.<\/p>\n
We need to allow and facilitate access to the data needed, to design evidence-based solutions to advance implementation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We need to enhance climate literacy \u2013 which is the understanding of how climate observations and records, as well as computer modelling, can contribute to scientific knowledge.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And we need to draw on traditional and indigenous knowledge, skills, and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
In island states and in coastal areas, for instance, it is the fisherfolk who are observers and recorders of historic action and events that have taken place in the water.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
They bring essential insights to the conservation and management of natural resources and can contribute to meaningful change.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Above all, we need to support locally grown solutions with localized grants that empower people first.<\/p>\n
All these ideas need climate financing to be executed to ensure that livelihoods, public services, and social cohesion are supported \u2013 whilst bolstering the resilience of people, especially those on the frontline in the most vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Excellencies,<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is easy \u2013 in big negotiating halls such as these \u2013 to get lost in jargon, rhetoric, and acronyms.<\/p>\n
While this facilitates diplomacy, it rarely captures the real face of humanity that is the subject at hand.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let us not forget that climate change is about all those who constitute the most vulnerable \u2013 who are living on low-lying coastlines, facing sea-level rise daily.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is about farmers facing drought, and communities fearing flooding.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is about cities suffocating under smoke from wildfires, factory emissions and vehicle exhaust or facing extreme heat from dangerously rising global temperatures.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
As we gather at this COP28, let us not lose sight of in whose defense we are here, who suffers most, and who must benefit right now from the resources and skills we can surely unlock.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let us therefore deliver real, transformative change, for people-centered adaptation.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thank you.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Remarks by the President of the General AssemblyH.E. Dennis FrancisAt the High-Level Panel: Enabling People Positive Adaptation Journeys, at COP28Dubai, UAE2 December 2023\u00a0\u00a0Heads of State and Government,Excellencies,Distinguished Participants,\u00a0I should like […]<\/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":"
Remarks of the President of the General Assembly<\/p>\r\n
H.E Dennis Francis<\/p>\r\n
GA plenary meeting on the
Report of the International Criminal Court,<\/p>\r\n
Monday, 30 October 2023<\/p>\r\n
As Delivered<\/i><\/i><\/p>\r\nPresident of the International Criminal Court, Judge Piotr Hofmanski,<\/i><\/i>\r\n\r\nExcellencies,<\/i>\r\n\r\nDistinguished Delegates,<\/i>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/i>\r\n\r\nToday we gather to consider the annual report of the\u00a0International Criminal Court (ICC) \u2013 a\u00a0 critical pillar of the international legal order.\r\n\r\nThe ICC stands as a perennial symbol of our shared commitment to justice and humanity\u2019s greatest aspirations.\r\n\r\nIt serves as an emphatic reminder that\u00a0no one \u2013 I repeat, no one \u2013 should be exempt from accountability for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community,\u00a0and that regardless of their status, position or location, perpetrators of such crimes will invariably face the weight of justice.\r\n\r\nIndeed, when it comes to the most egregious crimes against humanity,\u00a0 accountability knows no exceptions and justifiably so.\r\n\r\nIn those grave and heinous cases \u2013 when national legal systems prove unable or unwilling to bring perpetrators to justice \u2013 the ICC must step in.\r\n\r\nAccordingly, the ICC stands as a testament to our unshakeable resolve to end impunity, and moreover, to deter others from the commission of such crimes in the future.\r\n\r\nThe Court is indeed a truly unique embodiment of our collective resolution to upholding the principles of justice and accountability.\r\n\r\nI express my\u00a0 fulsome appreciation to the Court for its diligent efforts,\u00a0 as indeed to its judges and its prosecutor, as well as to the dedicated staff who have laudibly committed themselves to the pursuit of justice \u2013 and indeed, to what is\u00a0right<\/i>.\r\n\r\nThe report highlights both the progress and the challenges faced by the ICC this year, specifically as regards the prevention and punishment of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.\r\n\r\nThese principles are fundamental to our global vision of peace and are integral to our mission of maintaining international peace and security, promoting respect for human rights, and delivering justice to those who have suffered the gravest injustices.\r\n\r\nLadies and Gentlemen,<\/i>\r\n\r\nWe must acknowledge that the Court operates in a multifaceted international landscape.\r\n\r\nIts jurisdiction spans cases where state parties have brought situations to the attention of the Court, including situations referred by the United Nations Security Council.\r\n\r\nWhile it may present a unique set of challenges \u2013this duality in referral mechanisms underscores the importance of international cooperation.\r\n\r\nDespite these challenges, the hope for universal ratification of the Rome Statute, and the Kampala amendments, serve as a profound affirmation of the ICC's enduring commitment to justice.\r\n\r\nAs more countries join and support the ICC, the bold ambition of ending impunity for the most serious crimes becomes increasingly realistic to achieve.\r\n\r\nAs we engage in this discussion, let us remember the voices of the victims, whose suffering must compel us to take meaningful action.\r\n\r\nI underscore the\u00a0need for universal cooperation with the court among Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States in our common pursuit of a more just and peaceful world.\r\n\r\nI call upon States to support the ICC where it faces constraints in its pursuit of justice, including predictable funding to effectively undertake its investigations and prosecutions.\r\n\r\nIn line with the fundamental principle of complementarity, States should cooperate\u00a0with the ICC and with each other in investigations and prosecutions, including by sharing information and evidence to uphold the rule of law and ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes.\r\n\r\nLet us remain committed to strengthening the international legal framework and ensuring that the ICC continues to fulfill its essential role in our global efforts to prevent impunity and injustice and to promote lasting peace.\r\n\r\nI thank you and look forward to a fruitful discussion on this important matter.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n