Statement by Sofya Simonyan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN at the High-Level Meeting “Climate and Sustainable Development for ALL”

29 մարտի, 2019

Mr. President,

Armenia is happy to address today’s session, which we see as an important opportunity to look into the wide-ranging negative consequences of the climate change and related disasters and their immediate impacts for human societies and sustainable development. The meteorological records and climate projections provide abundant evidence about the vulnerability of ecosystems and populations, and highlight the need to step up efforts for international, regional and sub-regional cooperation for effective adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction.

As the world continues to experience risks of natural disasters, including those related to the impacts of climate change, understanding vulnerability, developing capacity for effective early warning, formulating coordinated disaster response plans, and ensuring availability of necessary infrastructure and services will be fundamental for mitigating risks. Recognition of mutual dependency, strong political will and genuine commitment of states to co-operation are critical prerequisites for successful risk mitigation.

Mr. President,

Armenia’s standing as a middle-income country and a landlocked developing country, given also the vulnerabilities of our mountainous terrain and the ecosystems, requires prioritization of climate change as well as disaster risk reduction strategies. Located in one of the most seismically active regions of the world, Armenia is well familiar with the risks and instabilities caused by the destructive potential of natural disasters. Our experience has shed light on the significance of regional and global cooperation for disaster response and risk mitigation and has led our country to prioritize building resilience.

Four years into the adoption of the Sendai Framework, the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, it is important to review progress in terms of building coherence between climate, disaster risk reduction and the SDGs and their effective integration into national action plans. Last June, Armenia hosted the Sub-Regional Platform for Central Asia and Caucasus for Disaster Risk Reduction, which brought together representatives of the Central Asian and South Caucasus countries, and various stakeholders involved in development and humanitarian affairs. The meeting tackled, among other priorities, the issues related to the economy of disasters and effective public-private partnerships for risk sensitive investments.

Formulating coordinated response plans and investing in disaster resilient infrastructure and technologies is of critical importance for mitigating risks and requires immediate prioritization in international development cooperation, in particular, in case of the middle-income countries. We continue to work with our development partners in implementing programs for energy efficiency and climate smart technologies, towards a low-emission and climate-resilient pathway for sustainable development. Armenia stands ready to continue to offer platforms for regional dialogue and to contribute to exchange and cooperation towards better integration of climate and disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies.

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