The situation is very serious, said UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, who convened the meeting. summit meeting includes plenary sessions and panel discussions.
He noted that an estimated 1.2 billion people could be forcibly displaced.
“For those on the front lines, the impacts of rising sea levels threaten livelihoods, damage settlements and critical infrastructure, and can be most visible forced relocation of entire island population and coastal communities“, he said.
Stop global warming
Mr. Duong called on countries to work together to build resilience, address vulnerability to natural disasters, ensure the development and implementation of climate adaptation strategies, and improve coastal management practices.
“Above all, We must stop global warming from driving sea level rise by recommitting to the goal of limiting temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees.“, he said.
Action and finance matter: Guterres
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the need for “drastic action” — both to reduce emissions to limit rising sea levels and to save lives. speak Everyone, everywhere must be protected by an early warning system by 2027, in line with an initiative of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, countries must come up with new climate action plans that are consistent with the 1.5°C target, cover all sectors of the economy and provide a rapid pathway to fossil fuel divestment. G20 countries – responsible for around 80 per cent of global emissions – must take the lead.
“Money is indispensable. We need a strong financial result at COP29 this year – including new and innovative sources of capital,” he said, referring to the United Nations climate change conference in Azerbaijan in November.
The Secretary-General also called for significant contributions to Loss and damage fund support developing countries and rich countries to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion per year by 2025. Furthermore, multilateral development banks must be reformed to provide more affordable finance to developing countries.
A starting point
Former General Assembly President Dennis Francis praised UN member states for taking decisive action on rising sea levels, saying the meeting marked the start of an “ambitious declaration” by the General Assembly in September 2026.
“The Declaration is an opportunity to ensure the prosperity, dignity and rights of all affected countries and communities.”, he continued. “Through the declaration, we must reaffirm that sovereignty and state rights are inalienable rights, and they are permanent and permanent, regardless of the circumstances of rising sea levels.”
Mr Francis called for more support for climate adaptation in the most vulnerable communities because “climate finance is not reaching the local level and should not saddle countries that are already suffering from multiple disasters with more debt”.
A young child surfs through flooded terrain in Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean.
The ‘real structure’ of countries at risk: Tuvalu
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said rising sea levels posed an existential threat to the economies, cultures, heritage and lands of small island developing states. Many would lose significant portions of their territory, risking becoming uninhabitable.
He spoke of impacts such as saltwater seeping into aquifers that provide drinking water, higher tides and stronger storms that destroy villages and fields. In addition, flooding increases soil salinity, which reduces crop yields and weakens plants.
“Our people will not be able to survive on the islands and shores they have called home for generations.“Livelihoods are destroyed, families are displaced, community cohesion is challenged, heritage is lost and ultimately the very essence of our nation is increasingly threatened,” said Mr Teo.
“For many of us, these are the harsh realities we are experiencing today, not predictions about the future to come.”
Strengthening Mitigation and Recovery: European Union
The European Union (EU) Climate Action Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, focused on two “really important elements”: mitigation and building resilience through adaptation.
On mitigation, he said “there is no time to bury our heads in the sand any longer” and it was vital that countries continue to work towards net zero emissions.
Mr Hoekstra said the EU would maintain its commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The target is part of the EU climate law “and we are on track to implement the policies needed to achieve that transition in a fair and equitable way, while also enabling clean economic growth”.
However, he stressed that curbing emissions “will not be enough” in the face of growing climate risks, so there is a need to boost resilience.
The commissioner also assured vulnerable communities that “the EU is with you in this fight”. He said the bloc “will continue to fight for greater ambition in mitigation and maximum support for adaptation and the measures we have to take in the area of loss and damage”.
