UN chief calls for climate justice, reforms in global financial architecture

ANKARA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for reforms in the international financial architecture with much larger participation of developing countries, which are at the frontline of the dramatic impact of climate change.

Addressing a joint news conference with Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape, he said the developing nations should be given a bigger participation in the institutions and the decision-making process of the global financial architecture and the climate finance, a UN statement said.

Guterres, who arrived in Papua New Guinea to attend the nation's 50th independence anniversary, is the first-ever UN secretary-general to visit the small Pacific country.

"This is a moment of great global turbulence—from conflicts to the climate emergency to economic instability and inequality," he added.

He said that developed nations "must" follow through on their commitments to climate finance, with a special emphasis on doubling adaptation finance to enable countries and communities to build resilience.

"Papua New Guinea has long led the charge for climate justice. Your country does not contribute to climate change—on the contrary, you absorb CO₂—but are at the first line of its dramatic impact," he observed.

As the UN Climate Conference approaches in Brazil, he further said, the world must move faster to keep the 1.5-degree limit alive.

"This means an immediate turning point leading to a drastic reduction in emissions that can no longer wait," he maintained.

The countries of the G20 have a particular responsibility, as they are responsible for 80% of climate pollution, Guterres noted.

The Brazil moot must also produce a credible path to achieve the $1.3 trillion dollar objective decided in Azerbaijan's capital Baku last year.

*Writing by Aamir Latif