United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has listed four priority areas for the international community to address the risks posed by the climate crisis to peace and security, along with putting a greater focus on prevention through strong, ambitious climate action.
Key Points
- UN Chief listed the four priority areas while addressing the Security Council high-level video conference open debate on climate and security.
- First, a greater focus on prevention through ambitious and strong climate action is required.
- The world must get on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and avoid climate catastrophe.
- A truly global coalition must be created to commit to net-zero emissions by the middle of the century.
- On the second priority, immediate actions to protect communities, people, and countries from frequent and severe climate impacts.
- Third, the concept of security needs to be embraced by people at its center.
- For the last priority area, Guterres said “we need to deepen partnerships across and beyond the United Nations system.”
- Climate Security Mechanism, which brings together the United Nations Development Programme, the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and the United Nations Environment Programme, is a blueprint for such collaboration within the United Nations System.
The meeting was presided by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It is the first time a British prime minister has chaired a Security Council meeting since John Major in January 1992. Several heads of state and of government also participated in the meeting.
