Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 8th Dec. UN head António Guterres on Wednesday called on the Governments and the private sector to effectively protect the natural environment at the UN biodiversity conference, COP15, in Montréal.
He said “Ecosystems have become playthings of profit. Human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas and lakes.”
Guterres added “Humanity’s war on nature is ultimately a war on ourselves.”
He was speaking on the sidelines of the conference is set new goals for nature over the next decade.
He recalled that a million species are at risk of extinction.
“We need governments to develop ambitious national action plans that protect and preserve our natural gifts, and put our planet on a path to healing,” Guterres stated.
“We need businesses and investors to put protection first in their business plans, and invest in sustainable production and extraction methods across every link of their supply chains.”
Guterres stated that “climate action and protection of biodiversity are two sides of the same coin.”
He called for tough regulatory frameworks and disclosure measures that end “greenwashing” and hold the private sector accountable.
He noted that developing countries must have more direct, simpler, and faster access to much-needed financing.
“We need developed countries to provide meaningful financial support for the countries of the Global South as custodians of the world’s natural wealth following centuries of exploitation and loss,” he said.
Mr. Guterres underscored the need to work side-by-side with indigenous peoples, local communities and youth, whom he called “the most effective guardians of biodiversity”.
He stressed on the concerns regarding the loss of biodiversity, as well as human rights.
SG said that their testimonies “were very much in line with the principle that human rights must be at the centre of everything we do in relation to the environment and at the centre of the work of this conference,”.
He was asked about government crackdowns on environmental protests.
Guterres expressed concern over the persecution of activists and reiterated his message on the primacy of human rights.
He reiterated the importance of guaranteeing civic space and protection of human rights defenders, which includes environmental activists.
“It is totally unacceptable that they become victims of human rights violations and we know that some of them have been in prisons, some of them have been threatened and even some have lost their lives,” he concluded.
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