Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Aotearoa New Zealand thanks the President of the General Assembly for his leadership in convening this informal plenary to focus on the existential threats of sea-level rise.
Climate change remains the single greatest existential threat to New Zealand’s home region – the Blue Pacific. One of the most significant impacts of climate change in the Pacific will be sea-level rise. Some Pacific Island countries are experiencing sea level rise of up to four times greater than the global average.
It is important to acknowledge that sea-level rise is already impacting vulnerable communities in low lying nations, degrading the habitability of land, and fundamentally impacting on livelihoods, economies, identities and ways of life. It is a critical issue for many Small Island Developing States.
While the severity and impacts of sea-level rise will vary between states and regions, it is a global phenomenon that will have implications for all states. It will pose peace and security threats to the international community as a whole.
New Zealand therefore agrees that collective action is vital as we seek to respond to this critical issue, and that is why we are one of the Champions of the Coalition for Addressing Sea-level Rise & its Existential Threats. Acknowledging that collective action must be multifaceted, we highlight the importance of several areas:
The first is ensuring States’ rights and entitlements under international law are protected. New Zealand highlights the approach taken with the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ 2021 Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise, which sets out our region’s collective position on how the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea applies to climate-change related sea-level rise. That Declaration states our region’s intention to maintain our maritime zones without reduction notwithstanding physical changes to our coastlines caused by sea-level rise. This approach has received widespread support from the international community.
Pacific Islands Forum Members are now focused on ensuring the continuity of statehood and sovereignty, and protection of persons, in the context of sea-level rise.
We acknowledge Vanuatu’s leadership in obtaining an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on states’ international climate change obligations, and also the leadership of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law in seeking guidance on how States’ law of the sea obligations apply with respect to climate change.
The second area is scaling up and delivering international climate finance investments in line with commitments made under the Paris Agreement. New Zealand’s own International Climate Finance Strategy guides the delivery of our climate finance commitment, of which at least 50 percent will support Pacific Island countries and at least 50 percent will target adaptation.
The third area is adaptation initiatives that support retention of the social and cultural identity of communities affected by sea-level rise, and that support the Pacific’s strong desire to remain in-place where possible, and as long as possible. A priority for New Zealand’s investment in climate action has therefore been to support adaptation initiatives. Collaborative climate mobility initiatives, frameworks, and investments also help to prepare people for locally-led relocation and migration, should this become necessary.
New Zealand will work with a diverse coalition going forward to protect countries who face the existential threats of sea-level rise as a result of the climate crisis.