ACP Countries Leading by Example: Supporting 1.5 to Stay Alive!

New York, 1st October 2019

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Paris Agreement and enhanced NDCs last week following the landmark UN Climate Action Summit.

States across Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) remain deeply committed to urgent and effective climate action.  At the joint side event co-organised by the ACP Group, AOSIS and the European Commission (EC) on the margins of the United National General Assembly today, the organizations highlighted the need for urgency to address the “climate emergency. ”

As stated by H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., President of Palau “We are most vulnerable, have contributed the least to climate change, yet are most ambitious towards the 1.5 C goal.”

The sentiment was echoed by the other high-level speakers emphasizing that enhanced NDCs would require enhanced support and enhanced partnerships.

“We are committed to champion ambitious action on climate change,” reaffirmed Hon. Wilfred P. Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belize.

The Hon. Bintony Kutsaira, M.P., Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining of Malawi added that “the Climate Change phenomenon is an issue of survival for Malawi and all LDCs requiring immediate and urgent action.”

Financing and quick access to finance remains a primary challenge for effective implementation of NDCs, despite the numerous existing initiatives on climate change by various development partners.

H.E. Dr. Hussain R. Hassan, Minister of Environment, Maldives noted: “We cannot always have bankable projects. The reality is irrespective of the bankability or profitability our people needs adaptation and mitigation financing now and urgently”

The ACP Secretary General, Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, urged other countries to increase their ambition and support joint efforts towards “1.5°C to stay alive”.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) were represented by Dr. German Velasquez Director of Mitigation and Adaptation Division and Mr. Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director of Climate, Environment of UNDP, respectively. The two representatives underscored the importance of building capacity at the national and regional levels to support implementation of NDCs. They also highlighted a number of available initiatives, and financial means, that countries and regions could access to support NDC implementation. These include the GCF’s Readiness Fund and the newly-launched joint initiative by GCF-IRINA-SEA4all and UNDP: Climate Investment Platform.

Just days before the event, the ACP and its long-standing partner, European Commission, signed a joint Declaration to strongly reaffirm their commitment to effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Developmentt and the Paris Agreement.

The ACP Group and AOSIS will continue to work together and with other partners to address the impacts of climate change in their member states and regions.