Address by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell to delegates at the Petersburg Dialogue on 2 May.
Excellencies, colleagues, friends.
I'd like to start by thanking our host, the German Foreign Office, and the United Arab Emirates for convening the 2030 Petersburg Climate Dialog.
COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber has spoken of his listening tour among governments, which has been very valuable to us.
I, too, am listening.
I hear of the significant challenges we face. The yawning gap between what is happening and what is needed in terms of climate action. Multiple crises and the ever-increasing climate impacts. The sufferings of people. But you also hear and see the significant progress being made across the world.
For example: The massive deployment of renewables in China and India. The accelerated energy transition in Europe and the US. Bold ambition to phase out coal in South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam. The courage of small island states in the face of ever-increasing impacts.
And here we are preparing for COP28, which will be hosted in a state whose economy is based on oil and gas. And with an incoming president who has spoken of the anticipated celebration of the last barrel of oil being extracted.
Particularly significant is the role of the international financial institutions. Speaking of reforming the global financial architecture, we heard at the start of the meeting a positive signal, given that donors at this time are on track to delivering USD 100 billion in climate finance this year.
But we also know that UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others continue to tell us we have not gone far enough and that we are not going fast enough to avert the climate crisis that is before us.
Colleagues. We are at a crossroads. We are presented with an opportunity of a generation. The opportunity to course correct.
The question is whether we will take it or not. We must bring a new implementation mindset to the Global Stocktake.
This Stocktake is our opportunity to look at where we have gotten thus far and design a way forward which approaches the task differently.
I committed the UNFCCC secretariat to support parties by providing analysis at the June Subsidiary Body sessions. On the many ways that this can be done.
This will include looking at energy systems, industry and how we make these cities and settlements sustainable, how we interact with our lands, oceans, food, the water systems.
Finally, on the risk and resilience side - I see our role as one which pulls together the science and helps translate it into what parties agree this process must deliver to keep us aligned with our commitments.
Your role as parties and as ministers is delivering political direction to this outcome that will be steadily increased from now until the end of the year. As ministers, you know best what it is that helps you at home.
Pass policy. This Global Stocktake can be designed to reflect that.
Before the June session, I encourage you to empower your teams to provide creative thinking, the creative thinking required for us to develop a very tangible outcome of the Global Stocktake, one which provides the pathway from now to 2030 and beyond.
Arthur Ashe was the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon. He said: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do all that you can."
Let's take this opportunity to do some more. We know we can. I thank you.
