YouSaid · the spoken record

Alexander De Croo

lines on the record
7
first
2020-07-24
most recent
2020-07-24
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “More and more countries are experiencing the security and humanitarian implications of climate change. That prospect frightens future generations. Under the presidency of the Dominican Republic, the Council held a debate on the issue of youth, peace and security. Exceptionally, the Belgian intervention was written by youth representatives. It will come as no surprise that climate and security was their number one priority. Current and future generations look to us for strong and concerted action. Let us not fail them.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  2. “Belgium proudly contributes €15 million to the Global Environment Facility each year and recently announced that it will double its contribution to the Green Climate Fund to €100 million for the period 2020-2023. Belgium has also contributed about €15 million to the Least Developed Countries Fund each year for the past four years. In addition, 72 per cent of the activities of the Belgian development agency Enabel, are carried out in fragile contexts. We nevertheless note with concern that today the 10 most fragile countries receive only 4.5 per cent of climate funding. The early-warning systems for conflicts and crises rarely include climate-related security risks. To remedy those gaps in our understanding and undertakings, we also started a multifaceted academic analysis of Belgian development assistance in the region of Central Africa.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  3. “We further expect regular country-level reporting to be climate-sensitive, and encourage the Secretariat to organize horizon-scanning briefings related to climate. Lastly, the Security Council needs to act. During our term on the Council, Belgium’s primary focus has been mainstreaming climate-related security risks into relevant Council action. We are pleased that currently 12 national, regional or thematic mandates can be considered climate-sensitive. Those include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, West Africa, the Sudan and Mali. We expect those missions to have dedicated capacity, in terms of both personnel and training, and to support the efforts of national and regional organizations. We also expect United Nations missions to be mindful of their own environmental impact. We also advocate action beyond the Council.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  4. “Existing tools rarely address climate change. Therefore, the United Nations needs an institutional clearing house, a body that mobilizes existing expertise and makes it available to the Security Council. We strongly support the Climate Security Mechanism in that regard and have contributed to its reinforcement. In that connection, Belgium welcomes the launch of an informal expert group to further institutionalize the Council’s engagement on this topic. Secondly, the United Nations needs to report. The strengthened information basis should result in a regular report by the Secretary-General to the Security Council on climate-related risks and preventive measures. That would improve our collective understanding of what regions and sectors are most impacted.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  5. “Faced with climate change as our most existential challenge yet, can we — the United Nations — afford to tell future and even current generations that even though we knew, even though vast research was available, we did not act? As an elected member, Belgium has consistently backed a Council with a broader role in addressing climate-related security risks. As attested by the wide participation in this debate and the continuous support of a clear majority of the Council’s members, from all continents, that is a broadly shared endeavour. I envisage the following priority actions to improve the work of the Security Council. First, the Council needs to be better informed. We need data and improved information management. Analytical and forecasting tools feed into early-warning systems and improve conflict-prevention capacity.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  6. “And as we speak, the melting of the polar ice caps is leading to the militarization of the Arctic. The impact of climate change on security is rarely straightforward. It is multifaceted and context-dependent. Climate change reinforces existing social, political, economic and environmental drivers of conflict. Some might think that the topic does not belong on the Council’s agenda because of its complexity. But is complexity an excuse for inaction? The very first article of the Charter of the United Nations is clear. We, as signatory States, bind ourselves to “take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace”. Over the past 75 years, we have focused too often on immediate crises. We have failed to take robust preventive action.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source

  7. “We are delighted to co-sponsor today’s meeting and thank Germany for the initiative. We align ourselves with the interventions submitted by the observer of the European Union (see annex 18) and by the representative of the Group of Friends on Climate and Security (see annex 21). I also thank the briefers for the insightful remarks. Today’s topic is not abstract, nor is it confined to the virtual walls of the Security Council Chamber. As we speak, ever more erratic rain patterns are increasing tensions between herders and farmers in the Sahel. As we speak, droughts are causing displacement and are impacting livelihoods from Somalia and Yemen to Afghanistan. Affected communities become more vulnerable to recruitment by insurgents or they vie for scarcer resources.”

    2020-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/751 (2020) · source