Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin’s statement at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on 7 November 2022

Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 7 November 2022. Check against delivery.

Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
I would like to thank Egypt for hosting us here on the African continent, where many of the impacts of climate change are felt most dramatically. While all of us suffer the consequences of climate change, it is the poorest and most vulnerable who suffer the most. I assure you that we are determined to find joint solutions. 

The science is clear: if we do not act now, this is only a preview of what is to come. This is the critical decade – each year and each action count.

Climate change is the biggest global security challenge we face. However, ongoing wars and violence in different parts of the world are magnifying its impacts. Also in Europe, we are witnessing grave violations of international law and the UN Charter, which undermine international security and stability and erode our capacity to work together to find solutions to pressing global problems. Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a serious breach of the United Nations Charter. Russia’s illegal war affects not only Ukraine but also the entire rules-based international order, right when we should be acting together against the great challenges of our times. It is Russia’s war of aggression that has caused the global food and energy crisis. 

Now more than ever, we need multilateralism to take quick and effective action against climate change and to ensure food and energy security. 

A green energy transition away from fossil fuels is not only an answer to climate change, but also to energy security. We must make sure this transition happens in a just way, creating new jobs and better opportunities for people everywhere.

I also want to stress that we cannot implement the goals of the Paris Agreement without a joint effort from both public and private finance. Therefore, this issue, too, deserves its place on the agenda.  

My own country, Finland, has set one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world: we aim to be carbon neutral by 2035. We have put our climate targets in law. A new Sámi Climate Council has been set up, at the initiative of the Sámi Parliament, to contribute traditional knowledge to the preparation of climate policy and measures.

Finland has also been vocal in involving women and youth in climate policy making. It is crucial that all groups, including people with disabilities, are able to participate equally in the international climate fora. 

Finland and the European Union are doing their part to deliver climate finance. Finland is practically doubling its climate finance for developing countries and taking concrete steps as part of the Champions Group on Adaptation Finance to double the share of global adaptation financing. As a Co-Chair of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, we have promoted the integration of climate and biodiversity action into national budgeting. 

Mr President,

We all agree that what we need now is implementation. The longer we wait the more it will cost. So let us ensure, together, that this COP is one that delivers real progress in all areas; a COP that keeps the 1.5-degree target alive. 

Thank you.