Fifty years ago, world leaders met in Stockholm and for the first time brought the environment into centre stage for human well-being and development. To commemorate Stockholm 1972 and chart a path forward for the next 50 years, the Governments of Sweden and Kenya, with support from UNEP and partners, planned an international meeting on 2-3 June 2022: Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”. The event linked notions of environmental responsibility in the 1972 declaration on the human environment with the challenges the world faces today and the opportunity and shared responsibility to accelerate the implementation of commitments in the context of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, including a sustainable recovery.
Stockholm+50 is a commemoration, a time for reflection of this interconnectedness and, critically, a time for urgent actions to anchor and harness emerging opportunities for a better future on a healthy planet as part of our responsibility to present and future generations. It is time to make bold choices, by listening to and in support of the most vulnerable, the weakest and those at risk; by improving human lives and human flourishing with a development nested in a healthy planet; by pivoting to a development that shifts from its current material and carbon intensity, which privileges the few and reduces opportunities for the many, and places longer term development at risk.
Given his continuous commitment to date addressing global challenges, from climate change to economic upheaval and the SDGs, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who currently holds the position of the President and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute that co-hosts the GGKP together with UNEP, shares his perspectives on critical areas aligned to the Stockholm+50 meeting.
Q: One of your first major initiatives was the 2007 Climate Change Summit to continue pushing the climate change issue to the forefront of the global agenda. Looking at the ‘big picture’, what do you think about the progress since?
Thank you for your very good question. Bringing the entire world together to realize the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2015 is one of my proudest personal achievements as a UN Secretary General. Signed by 197 state parties, the historic agreement gave us a clear game plan to confront the very serious and urgent threats to our planet. Implementing that game plan, however, is another matter. Some countries have made good progress, while others have not made satisfactory or even progress. It is absolutely critical that we share information and experiences with each other as well as provide support to developing countries that lack the resources and capacities. Overwhelming scientific evidence tells us that the window of opportunity to address climate change is closing fast. So, inaction or half-hearted action is no longer an option. We now have to take serious drastic actions if we want to leave a sustainable planet for our children and grandchildren. Thank you.
Q: What do you see as the greatest challenge to achieving our climate targets and the Sustainable Development Goals?
That is a very good question. Now climate change is making our world less equitable. Because the poorest countries are often affected the most by climate change. It is reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and inequalities. On top of this, we have had to face another threat to COVID-19 pandemic, which was devastating. Now the invasion of Ukraine is posing grave threats in terms of food security, refugees, drastically rising costs of resources, and much more, all of which are much harder for the poorest countries to face and take our efforts away from fighting the climate crisis. But we cannot afford to put climate change on the backburner. The climate crisis is perhaps the greatest existential threat facing humanity and challenges always come with opportunities to seize. A good example of this is a how the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in 2020 quickly focused on helping its member countries put in place green economic recovery measures that generate green jobs and are aligned with the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Thank you.
Q: COP26 in Glasgow concluded with a set of promises and tasks – moving towards a green economy and building back better post-pandemic in particular. What are the most critical actions we must take?
As the movement for an inclusive green economy continues to grow, and we enter the final Decade of Action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the collaboration among global partners is more important than ever. The theme of this “Stockholm+50 meeting - a healthy planet for the prosperity of all our responsibility, our opportunity”, calls for renewed global efforts to protect and restore nature. We all should demand strong leadership and action from our governments, businesses, cities, investors, and other stakeholders to create a healthy and sustainable future. Thank you.
Q: As the President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of GGGI – a treaty-based intergovernmental organization – how important is multilateral partnerships?
The world faces unprecedented global challenges that require unprecedented global responses. The climate crisis is just too big for just one country, one industry or one age group. And no one country, industry or demographic group is immune from its consequences. We all need to work together to steer away from driving off a cliff together. The key is through collaboration and collective actions at the global and national levels to communal and household levels spanning beyond national borders, industries and societal boundaries. We can still transform our economies and societies towards a sustainable and inclusive future but only if we work together. Thank you.
Q: The Paris Climate Change Agreement and the SDGs have lots of overlap. What would you like to see happen during the Decade of Action?
This international meeting decided by the UN General Assembly is being convened in a moment when we need to reflect on what has been achieved and where we need to go. The latest IPCC report released in early April shows that we are essentially out of time, and we need to make massive changes to energy, industry, transport, and our consumption patterns. I‘d like to see promises turned into action. In order for that to happen, we need foremost to stop thinking that sustainable development means giving up growth or prosperity. Sustainable development does not mean stopping economic growth. And GGGI projects to create green jobs or develop Climate Smart Agriculture have shown that. In fact, those who adopt the green growth model of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive development early will have a head start which will give them a comparative advantage. I hope more global and local leaders change the way they view this paradigm and realize these too so we can turn words into action. Thank you I count on your leadership and commitment. Thank you.