Ban hails impact of UN climate change treaty
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 21, 2014
"We know what we need to do and how to do it. As we mark this anniversary, let us rediscover the commitment that brought the Convention to life," the UN chief said, urging stakeholders to work together for a meaningful climate agreement that will set the world on a sustainable path for generations to come.
Making a similar call to action is Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, who in her statement said the anniversary is a moment to celebrate the far-sightedness of the Convention and all of the investment in its implementation that so many thousands of people have made over the last two decades.
"But it is also a time when we can reflect on the distance we all have yet to travel to achieve the ultimate objective enshrined in the Convention, which is to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system and ensure sustainable development for everyone," she said, adding that she hopes this anniversary inspires everyone to recommit to the Convention, to its implementation and to a meaningful 2015 agreement.
Meanwhile, a new report released today by the International Resource Panel and the UN REDD+ Programme states that an investment of $30 billion per year – under 7 per cent of the $480 billion paid in annual global fossil fuel subsidies – in the REDD+ forest conservation initiative can accelerate the global transition to green and sustainable growth and ensure the long-term well-being of tens of millions in developing countries.
The report Building Natural Capital: How REDD+ Can Support a Green Economy, lays out recommendations to deliver the new integrated REDD+ and Green Economy approach, including better coordination, stronger private sector engagement, changes in fiscal incentive frameworks, greater focus on assisting policy-makers to understand the role forests play in propping up economies, and equitable benefit sharing. The report stresses, in particular, the need for a rights-based approach to ensure that benefits flow to the rural poor.
Commenting on the aims of the report, Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said REDD+ is a bold project that offers an opportunity for countries to pursue a more sustainable development pathway through the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of forests.
"We need to create the enabling conditions required for REDD+ to succeed from good governance and sustainable financial policies to equitable distribution of benefits. These enabling conditions are themselves the building blocks for an inclusive Green Economy," he added.
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