Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at Climate and Development Ministerial Meeting at Pre-COP [as prepared for delivery]

We stand at a critical moment on the road to COP30 that  demands honesty, courage, and collective resolve.

Last month at the Secretary-General's Climate Ambition Summit in New York, leaders renewed their commitment to deliver on the Paris Agreement.

One hundred and twenty-five countries, covering nearly 80 per cent of global emissions, have now submitted or announced new national climate plans.

They are stronger in ambition, and better in quality.

They demonstrate that climate action and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin.

They have evolved beyond climate instruments to become central pillars of national development strategies, integrating climate action with economic planning, social equity, and long-term resilience.

And when backed by finance, technology, and capacity-building, NDCs can be powerful engines of climate-smart development and growth.

But let's be clear about where we stand. Despite progress made, the NDCs are still not enough to keep our world below the 1.5-degree limit.

We're already seeing temperature records broken year on year.

Climate shocks are intensifying, and disproportionally affecting vulnerable communities, women, youth and indigenous peoples.

Climate disruptions are driving food price inflation, stalling progress on hunger and nutrition, and challenging over 40% of the global population with climate-related water stress.

GDP growth globally has declined, impacting productivity and livelihoods.

We know what's in store for the future if we don’t change course and yet the world is still dangerously off track on adaptation –  putting progress on the Sustainable Development Goals at increasing risk.

The 2024 UNEP Adaptation Gap Report shows that while adaptation finance to developing countries rose to 28 billion dollars in 2022 – the highest since Paris – it meets only a fraction of what is needed each year.

That's the reality we're facing, and so we need to step up our actions to ensure that we reach the most vulnerable. Adaptation must be an investment for our shared future.  

During September's UN Climate Summit, leaders made it clear that adaptation is a matter of survival and climate justice.

Leaders called for predictable, grant-based finance, innovative instruments, and support for the implementation of Indigenous-led and country-owned adaptation plans.

It’s not about trade-offs, it’s about transformation.

For example, more than 30 NDCs already show a clear recognition that food systems and agriculture are central to climate action, with notable convergence on food security, water and nutrition co-benefits.

Climate-smart development can create jobs, protect lives, and unlock innovation. Every solar panel, restored forest, and resilient community is a leap forward.

So looking ahead to COP30, adaptation must be a central part of the outcome.

We must agree on the indicators to assess progress towards the Global Goal on Adaptation, but we must also go much further to close the gap between ambition and action.

In that context, I see four priorities areas where we need to focus our action:

First, we need to put our support behind country-owned frameworks, building capacity to turn adaptation plans into bankable investment pipelines.

Second, we need to prioritize the most concessional public finance for adaptation, ensuring predictable, accessible, grant-based support – especially for LDCs and SIDS.

Third, we need to get creative. Develop innovative finance instruments that expand opportunities for adaptation funding – building on work by the G20, the Sustainable Finance Working Group, and ongoing reforms of the international financial architecture.

Finally, we need to keep the momentum focused on a joint Adaptation Package at COP30 and beyond.

Excellencies,

The next phase of climate and sustainable development cooperation must be about delivery with impact on resilience, equity, and growth.

If we align our policies, finance, and political will, we can make climate action the defining driver of sustainable development in this critical decade.

And let me say: the work happening in this room matters. The Climate and Development Ministerial's focus on practical cooperation, country-owned approaches, and direct access to finance is exactly the kind of leadership we need.

Not just to negotiate, but to deliver.

The road to COP30 runs through rooms like this one.

Through the hard work of building coalitions and refusing to accept that the gap between what we need and what we're doing is simply the way things have to be.

So thank you for your leadership, and let's finish what we've started.