Intervento pronunciato dall’Ambasciatrice Mariangela Zappia, Rappresentante Permanente dell’Italia presso le Nazioni Unite, all’Evento virtuale di presentazione del “Climate Ambition Summit”. —
Good morning to everyone.
Thank you Deputy Secretary-General for your remarks and thank you President of the CoP26. It is nice to see that there is this energy coming from you and good to hear that you are optimistic and that there are good news coming.
Italy is really pleased to be a partner with the UN, the UK, France and Chile in promoting the “Climate Ambition Summit”.
Paris in 2015 was a crucial turning point in the history of climate action and the efforts put in place by the international community over the last 5 years were unprecedented. Still, as my friend Nicolas just said, this is not enough.
In the last few months, the COVID-19 pandemics added a new, negative factor to this equation, further reminding us that the lack of respect for nature may have catastrophic impacts on all aspects of our lives.
Against this backdrop, the Climate Ambition Summit will be a fundamental opportunity to relaunch the commitments undertaken in Paris and to raise our collective ambition, working for braver and more decisive actions against climate change and for a “green” recovery based on the principles of sustainability, solidarity and inclusivity.
The decisions on how to “recover better” and how to invest the unprecedented amount of resources mobilized for the pandemic will determine carbon trajectories for decades to come. This is also why, we are asking all Member States to attend the Summit and to come with renewed and more ambitious commitments.
Italy, together with the European Union, is committed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. We fully supported the development of an ambitious “Green Deal” that will lead the way to a transformative change all across Europe.
As incoming Presidency of the G20 and in the framework of our partnership with the United Kingdom for COP26, we will strive to ensure that climate action be the foundation of the post-pandemic recovery. As the Deputy Secretary General just said, it will be important to work for a coordinated package of initiatives focused on climate financing and on the creation of an enabling environment for long-term “green” investments by all relevant actors, supporting the reorientation of private capital flows towards climate solutions. This is going to be essential.
Next year there will be the opportunity to build international momentum on climate action also through other major events: the Food Systems Summit and the Global Health Summit that Italy will host together with the European Commission. In both cases, specific attention will have to be paid to the strong interrelations between climate change, food systems and public health.
I would like to conclude by echoing the Deputy Secretary General, and the President of COP26 and my colleagues from France, the UK and Chile after me, in inviting all Member States to attend the Climate Ambition Summit and to use this precious opportunity to concretely raise our collective commitment against climate change.
Thank you.
