The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) congratulates you on your decision to convene this thematic debate on climate change.
For us, the issue of partnerships is particularly appropriate because of its vital relevance to the fulfilment of commitments in the Hyogo Framework and ISDR contexts.
This same theme was addressed at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, held in late November 2007 in Geneva.
That Conference brought together all the world’s governments and their partner Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and resulted in the adoption by consensus of a declaration entitled “Together for Humanity“.
One of the four major challenges identified in the declaration is the humanitarian consequences of environmental degradation and climate change with an emphasis on adaptation.
Mr President,
The debate at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference was driven by exactly the same realisations as those which underpin the discussions here.
The first is that there can be no argument about the impact today of climate change and global warming on tens – no, hundreds - of millions of people, all over the world.
We are an organisation composed of 186 National Societies functioning as the auxiliaries to the public authorities in every country.
Our “Together for Humanity” declaration envisages each government meeting with its National Society to establish what they can do together to combat the challenge of climate change.
Our member Societies are committed to their part of this action, and some have already engaged their governments on defining roles and responsibilities.
We urge all governments to take up the opportunity our Geneva consensus provides to make a real difference, especially in fields such as adaptation.
In anticipation of this, we worked with the Netherlands Red Cross Society to establish the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Centre in The Hague in 2002.
Since then, we have utilised its expertise and resources to contribute to a large number of international meetings and events all over the world, and have used that experience to build national action on humanitarian consequences in selected countries.
We have also established partnerships between IFRC and global and regional organisations to address disaster risk reduction.
One such organisation, in my own region, is the Association of Caribbean States. But the diversity of our interest is also illustrated by our intention to work more closely with the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council.
We also pay tribute to the work of the Association of Small Island States for the priority its members are understandably giving to climate change and its consequences.
We in the Red Cross and Red Crescent are profoundly committed to ensuring that all governments fully appreciate the humanitarian consequences of climate change.
To address this, and in fulfilment of the consensus achieved at the November 2007 International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, we will use all means at our disposal to ensure that climate change is fully integrated into disaster risk reduction and disaster management policies and plans at the national level.
Mr President,
We will continue giving the highest priority to those with the greatest needs especially in the so-called SIDSs, LLCs and LDCs.
One of our key messages which we delivered in Bali and will be delivering again in Poznan and in Copenhagen is that adaptation of climate change must be prioritised in all countries, and in all programmes.
Despite the support the concept always receives, it has yet to become truly embedded.
I repeat this message today:
Adaptation must receive its own funding support.
It must not be seen as a competitor for development funds.
It requires its own resources, and unless serious commitments of new money are made we will have to face the prospect of an annual cost to the planet of one trillion dollars by the year 2040 – the figure published by UNEP’s Finance Initiative in 2006.
Mr. President,
This topic of climate change I hold dear to my heart.
I am from a small island developing state, Barbados in the Caribbean archipelago, and am naturally worried that if various aspects, for example such as raising sea water levels, are not fully addressed, my own country which is referred by other nations as a “paradise” might not exist in 2050 as I know it now.
I implore the General Assembly to fully endorse the conclusions of this conference and commit to concerted action.
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