The Republic of Belarus took part in the Summit on Climate Change Measures in New York

On September 23, 2019 Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei took part in the opening of the Summit on Climate Change Measures, which was organized at the initiative of the UN Secretary General Antoni Guterres on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.

The goal of the Summit is to mobilize political will for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and increase the level of ambitious goals in the fight against climate change. The summit is held a year before countries will have to make additional national climate commitments in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

The Belarusian side is firmly committed to the transition to a low-carbon sustainable economy and sent a statement to the UN Secretariat announcing its intention to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 solely from its own resources. Among the concrete measures of Belarus on the path to ensuring low-carb development are the wider use of renewable energy sources, the construction of energy-efficient housing and the development of electric transport, the introduction of low-carbon and non-carbon technologies into the economy.

The Minister singled out climate change as an important topic for the entire planet today: “We see how, against the background of an ever-increasing population of the planet and, as a result, increased exploitation of the Earth’s limited resources, the problem of climate change is aggravating.

We are probably very close to the point of no return if the most decisive action is not taken. So far, the efforts of the international community to reduce emissions are clearly lagging behind the dynamics of the destructive processes of climate change.

The Summit on Climate Change Measures, which was held at the UN headquarters these days, gives hope for the consolidation of the world community efforts and the implementation of significant initiatives to reduce emissions.

Belarus, as a responsible participant in collective efforts to combat climate change, intends to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 solely from its own resources.

A powerful impetus for the transition to a low-carbon economy was given by the launch of a motivational mechanism that provides the transfer of advanced knowledge and technologies to developing countries, as well as climate investments”.

The Summit was a major step forward in realizing high national goals and taking measures by the private sector to ensure compliance with the main deadline for combating climate change set for 2020. 77 countries pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, and another 70 states announced that they will either expand their national action plans by 2020, or have already begun this process. More than 100 major representatives of the business community, including owners of assets worth more than $ 2 trillion, as well as leading companies with total capital also exceeding $ 2 trillion, have taken concrete steps to embark on the path to achieving the goals set in the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transition from gray economy to a green one. Many countries and more than 100 cities, including many of the largest cities in the world, have announced new significant and concrete steps in the fight against the climate crisis. Youth leaders, including Greta Tunberg, expressed the need for leaders to take more action and expressed their determination to hold leaders accountable.

For reference: Sustainable Development Goal 13 is “Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its effects.” Climate change has a significant impact on economic development, natural resources and poverty alleviation. Developing low-cost and scalable solutions to reduce climate change will help countries provide a healthy and sustainable economy.