UN Resident Coordinator – Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group - Ministerial Meeting

Distinguished Chair, Ministers, Excellencies, Colleagues, 

On behalf of the United Nations, I thank the Government of South Africa for hosting this critical Ministerial Meeting at a time when the world stands at a climate sustainability and environment crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges from escalating impacts while simultaneously holding immense opportunities for a global transition to a sustainable future. 

As the Secretary-General recently reminded us at the Climate Summit during the UN General Assembly, “the science compels climate action. So does the economics.”  

Major economies and emitters have a special responsibility to lead the way—by bringing forward economy-wide high-ambition Nationally Determined Contributions that cover all sectors and greenhouse gases, and by delivering dramatic emissions cuts aligned with the 1.5°C limit. 

But commitments and ambition alone is not enough. We must match it with action and support. The United Nations reiterates the calls for scaled-up, predictable climate finance and technology sharing, including the sustainable extraction and use of critical minerals, to enable just energy transitions.  

This means investing in clean energy, grids, and storage, and lowering capital costs so that no country is left behind.  

Redirecting fossil fuel subsidies and supercharging the clean energy transition are essential steps. 

It is also necessary to tackle plastics and waste management through circular economy approaches and extended producer responsibility, ensuring that these solutions are inclusive and locally relevant.  

Disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and resilience building are central to protecting lives and livelihoods—especially as climate impacts intensify.  

The Early Warnings for All initiative is a key tool, and we urge G20 members to expand access to innovative finance and technical support. 

Conserving and restoring landscapes, ending the destruction of nature’s carbon sinks, investing in nature-based solutions, and promoting climate-smart agriculture are vital for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. 

Addressing loss and damage, and scaling up adaptation finance, are essential for climate justice and a sustainable future. 

South Africa’s climate challenges and priorities [as reflected in the UN Country Team’s analysis and our new Cooperation Framework] remind us that integrated solutions are needed: protecting biodiversity, building resilience to drought and desertification, and empowering communities, especially the most vulnerable. 

G20 Countries are called upon to seize this opportunity – in tandem with the recently concluded Pre-Cop and in advance of the COP in Belem - to reaffirm the collective commitment to the necessary interventions required to propel action on climate change and sustainable development. 

The trajectory for the coming decades will be determined by choices made now regarding emissions, financing, policy, and global cooperation. 

The United Nations stands ready to work with all G20 members to ensure that climate action and people-centered nature-based solutions are bold, inclusive, and transformative—for South Africa, for Africa, and for the world.  

Thank you. 

Deliverables Segment Message  

Chair, Ministers, Colleagues, 

The United Nations welcomes the deliverables presented under South Africa’s Presidency of the ECSWG. 

The focus on biodiversity, conservation, land degradation, energy efficiency, chemicals and waste management, climate change and air quality, and oceans and coasts is both timely and essential. 

Delivering on these priorities requires more action, partnership, and resources.  

As the Secretary-General emphasised at the Climate Summit during the UN General Assembly High Level Week, G20 members are to accelerate the transition to clean energy, improve energy efficiency, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and tackle methane emissions.  

Protecting forests, restoring landscapes, and strengthening adaptation and resilience for those most vulnerable are also crucial. 

Chair and Excellencies… 

Finance remains the sharpest bottleneck to progress. G20 countries must unlock and scale up climate finance, lower the cost of capital, and ensure technology transfer for a just energy transition. 

The United Nations stands ready to support G20 members in translating these deliverables into tangible progress. 

We commend South Africa’s leadership in highlighting adaptation, resilience, and loss and damage.  

The new Climate Change Act and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan are important steps that can serve as models for others.  

G20 countries should deepen investments in disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and landscape restoration, recognising that these actions are vital for sustainable development and climate justice. 

As G20 member countries move forward, they should also accelerate circular economy solutions and extended producer responsibility for plastics and waste management. Ensuring information integrity and building public trust are essential for transparent and effective actions. 

The United Nations remains committed to working with all G20 partners to turn these deliverables into real-world results—fast, fair, and at scale. 

Thank you.