26 September 2017
Beirut, Lebanon
Statement by Mr. Mohamed Ali Alhakim
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA
Opening of the High Level Conference on Climate Change Assessment
and Adaptation in the Arab Region
26-28 September 2017
Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace, Beirut
Ministers,
Mr. Hassan Hadi Al Janabi, Minister of Water Resources of Iraq,
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Ati Sayed Mohamed Khalil, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt,
Mr. Yahya Ould Abdel Dayem, Minister of Water and Sanitation of Mauritania,
Mr. Cesar Abi Khalil, Minister of Energy and Water of Lebanon,
Mr. Rafik Ali Saleh, Director-General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD),
Mr. Ibrahim Adam Ahmed Al-Dikhairi, Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development,
Mr. Mikael Staaf, Deputy Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission of Sweden in Lebanon and Syria,
Ms. Stephanie Scharf, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Lebanon,
Ambassadors to Lebanon,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to begin by welcoming you to Beirut, at the opening of the High Level Conference on Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation in the Arab Region. I warmly welcome Mr. Saad Al-Hariri, Prime Minister of the host country, and thank him for sponsoring this conference.
We meet today under the implementation framework of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region, known as RICCAR.
This initiative was launched in 2009 pursuant to an ESCWA resolution, adopted at its twenty-fifth session, which tasks the Secretariat with preparing a comprehensive assessment on the vulnerability of social and economic sectors to the impact of climate change on water resources (Sanaa, May 2008), and which was later endorsed by the Economic, Social and Development Summit of the League of Arab States (Kuwait, 2009).
I would like to express my deep appreciation for the fruitful cooperation and solid strategic partnership between the League of Arab States, ESCWA and other United Nations organizations working in the Arab region, and my gratitude to international agencies and organizations and global research centres for their tireless efforts at all stages of the regional initiative’s implementation.
I would like to commend the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for its support to the project since its inception and throughout its implementation, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development for the Adaptation to Climate Change in the Water Sector in the MENA Region Programme (ACCWaM), which aligned with RICCAR and contributed to the implementation of some of its elements.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The current meeting is being held 10 years after the issuance of the Arab Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change in 2007, which recognized the grave potential effects of climate change on the region and called for a full impact assessment.
The present high-level conference, held over the next three days, will include the launch of the Arab Report on Climate Change Assessment. The report provides an unprecedented comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change in the Arab region and the vulnerability of economic and social sectors to it, following its endorsement last year by the Arab Ministerial Council on Water.
The conference will also include presentations of several studies in the Arab region on green sectors, extreme weather phenomena, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation; and a presentation on progress in establishing an Arab climate outlook forum and a regional knowledge hub under RICCAR. The conference will act as a platform for dialogue and discussion on innovative pilot projects, while helping identify best practices for climate change adaptation in Arab countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Undoubtedly, climate change has become a reality affecting the world as a whole, including the Arab region. This issue must be given top priority in national plans, in accordance with scientific facts.
The region is expected to witness a continual increase in average temperatures, with more hot days accompanied by changes in monthly rainfall levels. Extreme weather indicators show the possibility of more frequent harsh weather conditions, such as droughts and floods.
Given these findings, there is an urgent need to strengthen the region’s capacity to tackle climate change challenges, through capacity-building, knowledge and technology transfer, and institutional and financial support.
Ladies and gentlemen,
ESCWA efforts are consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to provide a decent life for all and to ensure social justice, the sound management of natural resources and environmental protection. The Agenda sets out 17 Goals to direct global work towards the good of mankind and the planet.
The Paris Agreement came into effect in 2016, aimed at mitigating global warming by limiting average global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To date, 166 States have ratified the Agreement, including 12 Arab countries. Ratification reflects a commitment by parties to practices that mitigate the effects of climate change.
In this context, ESCWA plays an active role regionally by supporting member States in developing national plans and policies, and in the exchange of information and expertise to provide the best negotiating conditions in international meetings on climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We meet today to continue the efforts of the 11 partners in implementing RICCAR over the past eight years, which has resulted in a dense knowledge base and a methodology to assess the impact of climate change, linking various sectors and taking into account the Arab region’s specificities.
I hope that this accomplishment will mark the beginning of a new chapter aimed at facilitating access to data and indicators, providing a regionally approved methodology to support country efforts in tackling climate change challenges, and preparing intensive capacity-building programmes at the national level. Dealing with this complex issue has become a necessity, given the impact of climate change on livelihoods and all aspects of development.
In conclusion, I would like to once again thank you for your attendance, and reiterate my thanks to RICCAR partners. I wish this conference every success.
Thank you.
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCWA
Opening of the High Level Conference on Climate Change Assessment
and Adaptation in the Arab Region
26-28 September 2017
Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace, Beirut
Ministers,
Mr. Hassan Hadi Al Janabi, Minister of Water Resources of Iraq,
Mr. Mohamed Abdel Ati Sayed Mohamed Khalil, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt,
Mr. Yahya Ould Abdel Dayem, Minister of Water and Sanitation of Mauritania,
Mr. Cesar Abi Khalil, Minister of Energy and Water of Lebanon,
Mr. Rafik Ali Saleh, Director-General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD),
Mr. Ibrahim Adam Ahmed Al-Dikhairi, Director-General of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development,
Mr. Mikael Staaf, Deputy Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission of Sweden in Lebanon and Syria,
Ms. Stephanie Scharf, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy in Lebanon,
Ambassadors to Lebanon,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to begin by welcoming you to Beirut, at the opening of the High Level Conference on Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation in the Arab Region. I warmly welcome Mr. Saad Al-Hariri, Prime Minister of the host country, and thank him for sponsoring this conference.
We meet today under the implementation framework of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region, known as RICCAR.
This initiative was launched in 2009 pursuant to an ESCWA resolution, adopted at its twenty-fifth session, which tasks the Secretariat with preparing a comprehensive assessment on the vulnerability of social and economic sectors to the impact of climate change on water resources (Sanaa, May 2008), and which was later endorsed by the Economic, Social and Development Summit of the League of Arab States (Kuwait, 2009).
I would like to express my deep appreciation for the fruitful cooperation and solid strategic partnership between the League of Arab States, ESCWA and other United Nations organizations working in the Arab region, and my gratitude to international agencies and organizations and global research centres for their tireless efforts at all stages of the regional initiative’s implementation.
I would like to commend the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for its support to the project since its inception and throughout its implementation, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development for the Adaptation to Climate Change in the Water Sector in the MENA Region Programme (ACCWaM), which aligned with RICCAR and contributed to the implementation of some of its elements.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The current meeting is being held 10 years after the issuance of the Arab Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change in 2007, which recognized the grave potential effects of climate change on the region and called for a full impact assessment.
The present high-level conference, held over the next three days, will include the launch of the Arab Report on Climate Change Assessment. The report provides an unprecedented comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change in the Arab region and the vulnerability of economic and social sectors to it, following its endorsement last year by the Arab Ministerial Council on Water.
The conference will also include presentations of several studies in the Arab region on green sectors, extreme weather phenomena, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation; and a presentation on progress in establishing an Arab climate outlook forum and a regional knowledge hub under RICCAR. The conference will act as a platform for dialogue and discussion on innovative pilot projects, while helping identify best practices for climate change adaptation in Arab countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Undoubtedly, climate change has become a reality affecting the world as a whole, including the Arab region. This issue must be given top priority in national plans, in accordance with scientific facts.
The region is expected to witness a continual increase in average temperatures, with more hot days accompanied by changes in monthly rainfall levels. Extreme weather indicators show the possibility of more frequent harsh weather conditions, such as droughts and floods.
Given these findings, there is an urgent need to strengthen the region’s capacity to tackle climate change challenges, through capacity-building, knowledge and technology transfer, and institutional and financial support.
Ladies and gentlemen,
ESCWA efforts are consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to provide a decent life for all and to ensure social justice, the sound management of natural resources and environmental protection. The Agenda sets out 17 Goals to direct global work towards the good of mankind and the planet.
The Paris Agreement came into effect in 2016, aimed at mitigating global warming by limiting average global temperature increases to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To date, 166 States have ratified the Agreement, including 12 Arab countries. Ratification reflects a commitment by parties to practices that mitigate the effects of climate change.
In this context, ESCWA plays an active role regionally by supporting member States in developing national plans and policies, and in the exchange of information and expertise to provide the best negotiating conditions in international meetings on climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We meet today to continue the efforts of the 11 partners in implementing RICCAR over the past eight years, which has resulted in a dense knowledge base and a methodology to assess the impact of climate change, linking various sectors and taking into account the Arab region’s specificities.
I hope that this accomplishment will mark the beginning of a new chapter aimed at facilitating access to data and indicators, providing a regionally approved methodology to support country efforts in tackling climate change challenges, and preparing intensive capacity-building programmes at the national level. Dealing with this complex issue has become a necessity, given the impact of climate change on livelihoods and all aspects of development.
In conclusion, I would like to once again thank you for your attendance, and reiterate my thanks to RICCAR partners. I wish this conference every success.
Thank you.
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