NEW YORK, DECEMBER 15 – “Science continues to warn us. It is time to seize the opportunity to inform our action with appropriate scientific knowledge and to find the appropriate instruments to address the challenge”, the Italian Permanent representative to the UN Sebastiano Cardi said opening an Arria formula meeting marking the tenth anniversary of the first Council ministerial-level open debate on the relationship between energy, security and climate. This year a number of extreme events related to rising temperatures and depletion of natural resources have threatened the security of millions of people. Climate-induced security threats were front and center of the debate in the ECOSOC Chamber where Halbe Zijlstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, gave a briefing.
France, Germany, Italy Japan, the Maldives, Morocco, the Netherlands, Peru, Sweden and the United Kingdom co-organized the event. “The United Nations System at large needs to become more consistent and effective in the assessment of new security risks generated by climate change”, Cardi said suggesting that “an institutional home for climate change and security within the UN system could provide the needed locus for leadership, cooperation and joint action”.
The participation of MFA Zijlistra was a testimony of the continuity of values that Italy and the Netherlands share in their split Security Council mandate. Cardi who took the opportunity to thank the Dutch official “for the excellent cooperation” that the Italian delegation had with their colleagues during the course of the year: “We look forward to continue our cooperation on shared values next year”. (@OnuItalia)