YouSaid · the spoken record

János Áder

lines on the record: 27
first: 2012-09-24
most recent: 2020-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.””
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Where waste — glass, plastic, metals etc. — are not garbage but recyclable raw materials. How many times have we discussed this? Yet, we have achieved little progress. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Hungary has never condoned fruitless debates, we have always stood up for action. This is why we have organized the Budapest Water Summit three times already during the recent years. The success of these events has motivated us to strive for more. At the end of next year, we are organizing a sustainability EXPO, which — beside water management — will also deal with issues like food production, transportation, energy and waste management as well as education. We look forward to welcoming you all. As for the overcoming of the crisis, let me leave you with the words of Winston Churchill: “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“- Until we are able to create the conditions for sustainable water management, we will not have safer food production and we will not be able to feed those already living on the planet, let alone the newly born. - Until we are able to transform our energy generation systems, the coal fuelled power plants will not only increase CO2 emissions, but will also consume water that would be enough to supply one billion people. But let’s see another example. We have long been saying that the lifestyle we have created is unsustainable. Every year we are consuming more resources than what nature can replenish. It is absurd to believe that we have unlimited supplies of natural resources — water, soil, diverse biological environment — available cheaply and until the end of time. What is the solution? Circular economy.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have already spoken several times here at the UN about the water crisis unfolding in front of our eyes. About the drama of too much water and too little water, or contaminated water. And we all know that the majority of the UN’s sustainability goals are unattainable in the absence of appropriate water policy. Why? - Because until every seventh person on Earth is denied access to uncontaminated water, we have no hope for increased productivity in the impoverished regions of the world. - Until we are unable to prevent water contamination, we will still have half of all hospital beds occupied with patients suffering from diseases caused by contamination.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Because by the beginning of the 21st century we humans have become the factor that exercises the biggest impact on changes to the planet. We have to brace ourselves — if we do not radically change our lifestyles — this crisis will be followed by other ones, which may be even more serious than COVID. Therefore today the most important question is, can we learn from the crisis and are we finally ready to do something in the areas, where we have known for a long time that there is a danger looming, where we have known what should be done and that any procrastination would only increase the risks and the costs. Today we are as yet unable to defend ourselves against COVID efficiently. There is no drug, no vaccine. There are other areas of life as well, where we have known for years what should be done. Take water for example.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Esteemed Ladies and Gentlemen, Today marks a strange anniversary. This year, for the first time in the history of the UN we have to hold our regular annual session in a virtual setting. All this because of a virus that — although invisible to the naked eye - has upended our lives completely. COVID-19 has changed the rules regulating our family, social relations and our work in an instant and has created a grave crisis. Within a short period, the health crisis developed into an economic and later a social crisis. Businesses in bankruptcy, jobs lost, drastic restrictive measures and increasing sovereign debt. Who would have imagined this, say at the beginning of this year? More and more people say that today’s situation is the prototype for the anthropocene era.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“We have to heed the advice of Nicholas Stern, who said eight years ago that if we did not spend 1 per cent of our gross domestic product (GDP) on prevention, then the environmental damage we would suffer could amount to as much as 20 per cent of GDP. I have just cited the example of New York City. A few hundred million dollars would have been enough to mitigate damages totaling several billion. The New York example tells us that we are not in the twenty-fourth hour, but in the twenty-fifth. The tragedy endured by this metropolis, the host of our meeting, again justifies the words of Vegetius, somewhat amended to the situation — if you seek calm, prepare for disaster.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We may well have reached the point at which, whether or not we come to an agreement today or tomorrow, scientists will tell us that all the consequences of irresponsible decisions past and present would still be felt in the future in the form of floods, typhoons and other adverse climate events. We have to come to terms with the idea — and I would say that it will be very difficult — that the coming generation, our children’s generation, willunfortunately have to live with that situation. We will have to pay a dear price for our irresponsible environmental policies. Today it is no longer enough to reduce emissions. It is no longer enough to agree to reduce emissions. We have to prepare for more and more serious natural events and disasters.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Regarding political narrow-mindedness, we saw examples of that in the past. I will cite one. United States President Reagan’s Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel, said that one way to protect against the thinning ozone layer was to purchase wide-brim hats and wear dark sunglasses. Why must we wait for the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide to result in a situation as serious as that involving the ozone layer? Why can we not, late next year, make Paris as successful as Montreal? I believe that the problem is larger than we imagine. Scientists already agree that the desired and often articulated objective of limiting the temperature increase to 2°C has become increasingly elusive. Only a few days ago, we read that the carbon dioxide concentration has never been higher than it was last year.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Why can we not learn from all of the lessons provided by Mother Nature? Why are we not learning from our own example? There is one good example that we could learn from. It involves chlorofluorocarbon gases and the damage they cause to the ozone layer. Basically, those gases were first used in the 1950s. It took only 30 years for the ozone layer to be reduced by 40 per cent in the area above Antarctica. That was also enough time for people in every country to understand the medical consequences. I note, among others, the high incidence of dermatological cancers. It was basically only at the very last moment in Montreal that an agreement was struck, as a result of which we banned those gases. After 35 years, last week we saw the first report discussing a regeneration of the ozone layer.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In recent days, we have spoken on many occasions about our preparations for the 2015 Paris conference and the desire to reach an agreement there. I believe that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon needs to be recognized in that regard. He has truly done his utmost to ensure that we can reach a common conclusion in Paris in 2015. The question is, are we Member States doing all we can? Will we do all that we can to ensure success in Paris? The speeches I have heard over the past few days have not made me optimistic. The speeches I have heard deflected responsibility and reflected a type of political narrow-mindedness that is not terribly promising. Why can we not listen to the wisdom and advice of our scientists? Why can we not accept scientific results that today appear evident? Why can we not accept the signals being dispatched by our planet?”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Floods, typhoons and other adverse meteorological events are taking place in regions where they have never occurred before and at unprecedented times of the year. We are meeting here in New York. Two years ago here in New York, Hurricane Sandy caused damage valued at $20 billion, and more than 40 people died. This all took place despite the fact that for years on end the New York City leadership had been cautioned by scientists that trouble would occur and that protection for embankments, among others, must be strengthened. A few hundred million dollars would have been spent to that end; instead, the damage caused by Sandy cost far more. That is why, two days ago, the Assembly heard the Mayor of New York speak of the next 35 years and the desire to reduce New York’s emissions by 80 per cent.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“At the same time, in Lapland in Finland — not exactly the Mediterranean region — in May the temperature had reached 31°C, while Bethlehem experienced a white Christmas that no one remembered having seen before. In Australia, over the course of 90 days last summer, 123 temperature records were set. The Danube is the largest river in Europe and it has warned us again and again. Allow me to report a Hungarian example. Since before the Second World War, the Danube River has flooded many times, but until recently it had never risen to the level of 8 metres, even at the flood’s highest point. In the past four years, the Danube has risen above 8 metres on four separate occasions. In fact last year, it rose close to 9 metres.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“After Kyoto, a number of conferences, scientific meetings and political gatherings were held. In recent decades, many people have spoken on many occasions about the consequences of climate change and the need to do something. Still the situation has continued to deteriorate. Let me cite one statistic. Since 1990 — that is, during the past 25 years — despite all the resolve, the Kyoto agreement and all the promises, we have seen a 30 per cent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Despite the fact that Mother Nature has warned us again and again, adverse climate events continue to occur one after the other. Allow me to mention a few examples from the past year. In 2013 in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, there were freezing temperatures in January, which was unprecedented.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We heard very detailed statistics illustrating the gravity of the situation and the need for us to pool our efforts. And we have been preparing for that for a long time. When did we first notice signs of trouble with the environment? Few people may know that the first clear signal came in 1896, when a Swedish scientist wrote that an increase in the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide would lead to a temperature rise; 60 years later, we had precise measurements to substantiate his statement. Another 30 years had to pass before here, in the United Nations, it was understood that some type of treaty or agreement would be necessary in the future to deal with the issue. Another 10 years had to pass before the Kyoto Protocol was signed. Between the first realization and the Kyoto agreement a century had passed.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
““If you seek peace, prepare for war.” Those are the words of Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus’ fourth- or fifth-century tract De Re Militari, written more than 1,600 years ago. People have quoted that saying numerous times and in many circumstances. If the Assembly believes after all this that I am going to speak about the wars and armed conflicts raging throughout the world, it is mistaken. Instead, I would like to speak to the Assembly about a war and a battle that we seem to be losing. It is a war we are waging against our own natural environment and against our own human nature. Two days ago here in the General Assembly Hall, many heard the words of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President Obama about the dire consequences of climate change (see A/69/PV.6).”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Why do we wait for nature to remind us again and again of our grave irresponsibility? Hungary assesses the issue of water and sanitation to be one of the most important questions of the twenty-first century. During recent years, we have been active participants in the friends of water working group, created under the auspices of the United Nations. I think we will have ample work waiting for us during the coming years as well. We are ready and willing to share our knowledge and experience. We are also looking forward to welcoming everyone interested to the conference on water and sanitation to be organized in Budapest next autumn.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Nearly 1.5 billion people live in river basins, where water usage is larger than the minimum extent of water replenishment, which leads to the exhaustion of water reserves. At least two thirds of European cities with a population of 100,000 or more people are using their water resources faster than they can be replenished. It is true that the standards are set high in agriculture, especially if the agricultural sector wishes to produce adequate supplies of food for a further 2.5 billion people by 2050. That is especially true if we consider that currently it takes about 140 1itres of water to produce one cupful of coffee or about 15,000 1itres for 1 kilogram of beef. We have been aware of these figures for years. But what is knowledge worth if we do not put it to use?”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“I could continue to list dramatic examples and serious consequences of the lack of sanitation, but let us ask ourselves the question: if everything were all right with wastewater management, would it mean that everything was also all right with respect to our water management, water treatment and protection of our water basins? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Water management today requires international cooperation. It is indispensable. Half of the Earth’s population lives in so-called shared, or joint, water catchment areas. The same river provides the water supplies for two, three or more countries. Cooperation between such countries is a daily obligation. Absence of such cooperation could lead to supply, social, health or even war-related tensions.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The toilet culture of nearly 2 billion people is still not adequate today. What are the consequences? Polluted and toxic lakes, lifeless streams of water reminiscent of rivers only by their names. Instead, they are stinking industrial canals. The consequences are that there is not enough water around to meet the everyday needs of human consumption. Today, more than 1 billion people do not have access to clean, potable water. Another consequence, according to a 2009 UNICEF study, is that serious diseases, spread by polluted water and the lack sanitation, have been killing young children at a pace equivalent to that of a Boeing 747 airplane packed with young children crashing every four hours.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“During recent years, a great variety of studies have been published about our irresponsible behaviour, about the short-sighted, and may I say, foolish, attitude with which we are polluting our waters. Allow me to cite just a few findings from these documents. Ninety per cent of all communal wastewater and 70 per cent of industrial wastewater in countries of the developing world is discharged into rivers without any treatment whatsoever. The chemical revolution of the era following the Second World War also has had seriously adverse implications on the environment. Industry nowadays has been using about 12,000 different types of toxic chemicals, while a single drop of crude oil can render 25 litres of drinking water non-potable. Manufacturing a single vehicle requires 148,000 1itres of industrial water.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Environmental protection, the preservation of natural values, the protection of soil, air and water quality — how much time have we spent talking about them recently? Due to the limited time alloted, permit me to highlight only a single issue from the larger set of problems before us, namely, the issue of water and sanitation. It is even more important to mention it here because, as a result of our common decision, nex year has been designated as the International Year of Water Cooperation. We can truly appreciate the adequate quantity and quality of water if we experience what it means to be deprived of it, whatever the reason — pollution, overconsumption or environmental, changes.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Article P of the Constitution stipulates that: “All natural resources, especially agricultural land, forests and drinking water supplies, biodiversity — in particular native plant and animal species — and cultural assets shall form part of the nation’s common heritage, and the State and every person shall be obliged to protect, sustain and preserve them for future generations”. Whereas Article XXI sets forth that: “Hungary shall recognise and enforce the right of every person to a healthy environment. A person who causes any damage to the environment shall be obliged to restore it or to bear all costs of restoration as defined by law. “No pollutant waste shall be brought into Hungary for the purpose of dumping”.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“As a new element, constitutional constraints compliant with the rule of law have been imposed to curb irresponsible public spending and the reckless increase of State indebtedness. The new Constitution of Hungary provides guarantees for the fulfilment of international legal obligations and for compliance and adherence to the generally accepted rules of international law. It is important to point out that numerous new provisions, which concern the new, so-called fourth generation of basic rights, have been included in the new fundamental law.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Preparations for the peaceful transition, and then the post-election years, can be deemed to be a successful period from the perspective of the rule of law. Hungary, however, did not have a new, consolidated Constitution that was not unlike the 1949 Constitution, easily revealed through the number in its title. It was that shortfall that the Hungarian National Assembly rectified in April 2011, when it decided to adopt the new fundamental law of Hungary. What is now the youngest Constitution of Europe incorporates almost all elements of the European Convention on Human Rights, along with the rule-of-law institutions safeguarding the checks and balances established in 1990.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“For our generation, just as for that of our parents, our everyday experience was of being deprived of human rights and liberties. Independence? From what, when Soviet troops kept Hungary under occupation? Free elections? How, when political parties were non-existent and, even at late as 1988, it was a crime against the State to form political organizations. Constitutional freedoms, such as the freedom of speech, the right of assembly and the right to practice religion freely, existed only on paper or not even on that. The end of the 1980s and the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Iron Curtain, brought democratic changes to Hungary as well. It was in the spring of 1990, more than 40 years later, that we could organize free elections again.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The rule of law is among the topics before the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly. This is an especially important issue, especially for someone who has had the opportunity to personally experience the lack of it. For many decades, Hungary belonged to the Communist-Socialist bloc. By 1949 the Communist takeover of power had been completed, just four years after the end of the Second World War. The multiparty system had been eliminated. The majority of leaders of political parties established after the war were forced into exile or were imprisoned. I was born 10 years later. I spent my early adult years, and thus the years of my political awakening as well, in a dictatorship. In fact, my two older children were born under that political system.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)