Intervento dell’Ambasciatore Maurizio Massari, Rappresentante Permanente dell’Italia presso le Nazioni Unite, al Meeting in formula Arria del Consiglio di Sicurezza su “Climate Finance for Sustaining Peace & Security” —
Thank you, Mr. President,
Italy aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the European Union, we also wish to reiterate our condemnation of the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine. We continue to stand in full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
Italy welcomes the convening of this meeting by the United Arab Emirates and is grateful to the briefers for their interventions.
The devastating impact of climate change is under our eyes and the existential nature of this threat is equally evident.
The climate-security nexus has a solid evidence. The latest IPCC report indicates that about 3.3 billion people are living in areas with high human vulnerability to climate change. These areas are often located in low-income countries that are also prone to fragility, due to insecurity and conflict, and where climate change acts a threat multiplier, exacerbating conditions that jeopardize peace and security.
Last December the Security Council missed an important opportunity to highlight the security implications of the adverse effects of climate change, when the adoption of a thematic resolution, presented by Ireland and Niger, was regrettably vetoed. Italy had convincingly co-sponsored that draft resolution, together with more than 100 Member States. We will continue to support future initiatives to develop a comprehensive approach to address climate change and its effects through the involvements of all UN organs and entities in accordance with their respective mandates.
It is imperative to elevate and accelerate our commitments on both mitigation and adaptation, aiming at achieving the net-zero target no later than 2050. To this end, it is critical to scale up climate financing and fully align existing finance flows to the Paris Agreement. Italy, together with its EU partners, fully supports these objectives and is actively engaged in their realization.
Through the prism of today’s discussion, this implies orienting financial flows, more and more, towards the design and implementation of projects in conflict-affected and fragile contexts, where the negative consequences of climate change are most profoundly felt and are susceptible to aggravate insecurity.
Increasing the overall volume of finance for resilience-building projects in conflict-affected countries is crucial but not sufficient A more effective climate finance management is also needed.
Finance providers should do more and better in mainstreaming climate-related security risks into their climate action. The role of International Financial Institutions, including Multilateral Development Banks, in delivering climate finance, especially in countries where urgent adaption to climate change is required, should be significantly strengthened. International Financial Institutions should ensure that climate goals be deeply embedded in their investments and policies, using financial and non-financial tools to help governments and the private sector to overcome real and perceived risks and other barriers to climate investment. Regional approaches in designing adaptation initiatives should also be pursued.
Last but not least, mitigation and adaptation should be more and more integrated in the formulation of mandates for UN peacekeeping missions. We encourage the Security Council to devote increasing attention to this dimension and recognize the efforts already made by the Secretariat in reducing the environmental footprint of UN peacekeeping missions. As a co-chair of the relevant Group of Friends, together with Bangladesh, Italy is particularly engaged in this area and will continue to provide its input and contribution.
I thank you, Mr. President.
