Climate change issue also discussed as both leaders call for concrete meaningful actions to address climate emergency
(Eagle News) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and discussed more areas of “cooperation and support.”
The meeting happened on Tuesday, September 20 in New York (Wednesday, Sept. 21 Manila time).
“The Secretary-General and President Marcos discussed areas of United Nations cooperation and support,” according to a readout posted on the UN website.
Malacanang said that Marcos and Guterres “also exchanged views on the international situation as well as climate action initiatives.”
Climate change was one of the key issues that President Marcos touched on in his speech at the opening session of the 77th UN General Assembly.
-Climate change as the greatest threat affecting nations-
He said climate change was the “greatest threat affecting our nations and our peoples.”
He also called on industrialized countries to “immediately fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, provide climate financing and technology transfer for adaptation for the most vulnerable and developing countries to lead by example.”
Marcos said that the Philippines was also looking forward to “concrete outcomes at the Conference of Parties in Egypt later this year.”
Guterres also told reporters that there is now a climate emergency and that it was time for “meaningful action” on the issue of compensation for damage wrought by the climate crisis, especially in developing countries.
Ahead of the forthcoming COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt, the UN Secretary-General and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi — the latter appearing by video link — co-hosted a meeting of world leaders for “frank exchanges” on climate action.
-4 burning issues raised by Guterres-
“My messages were stark,” Guterres told reporters at the UN General Assembly following the meeting.
“On the climate emergency: The 1.5-degrees limit is on life support –- and it is fading fast,” he said, referring to the Paris accord goal of limiting long-term warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
He called on governments to tackle “four burning issues” between now and COP27: greater ambition to keep the 1.5C possible; meeting financial commitments to the developing world; increasing support for adaptation measures, and the issue of “loss and damage.”
(Eagle News Service with a report from Agence France Presse)