The message of cooperation and collective action to tackle climate change sent officials on Wednesday at the press conference to present the main findings of the 7th pan-European environmental assessment report, on the framework of the 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, taking place in Nicosia.

Cyprus’ Agriculture Minister, Costas Kadis, in his address, said that their aspiration is on the one hand to carry out the conference successfully and on the other hand to deliver outcomes, which will enhance the efforts of the governments, organisations, academic institutions, the industry and other involved stakeholders of the pan-European region to effectively protect the environment and to support the development of sustainable, resilient and inclusive communities.

He welcomed Ministers of Environment, Education, Infrastructure, Tourism, Foreign Affairs, as well as participants from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia, and Europe. “The reasoning behind our extended invite is that most environmental challenges the invited countries are facing are common,” he said.

“Our key objective is also common: to fully achieve the sustainable development goals of the twenty thirty (2030) United Nations’ Agenda,” he added. Kadis said that this Conference is an opportunity to work together and share experiences and best practices at the inter-ministerial level for delivering sustainable solutions in the fields of the environment, circular economy, tourism, infrastructure and education that will transform the planet.

He referred to the first thematic area of the Conference which, he said, focuses on sustainable infrastructure. “Greening the economy by investing in sustainable infrastructure is becoming more important in this economic, environmental, climatic and social crisis era we are going through,” he said. During this time, the Minister said, when governments around the world focus on recovering their economies and on building their resilience for the current and future crises, it is crucial to ensure that this recovery follows a sustainable path.

“We need to adopt systemic and life-cycle approaches from the early conceptual and strategic planning stages of infrastructure development and invest in nature-based solutions, he said.

The environmental challenges of the tourism sector will be discussed during the second thematic area of the Conference, he said, adding that tourism destination countries like Cyprus, face additional environmental challenges, especially in the sector of waste management. The relevant sessions during the Conference will discuss ways to support the tourism industry as a main driver for economic development, while working with various stakeholders to adopt circular economy tourism models, he added.

He noted that circular economy enhances the sectors’ sustainability, productivity, employability and competitiveness, while reducing their environmental footprint.

Cyprus’ Education Minister, Prodromos Prodromou, said that this ninth Ministerial Meeting acquires a symbolic character as it seeks to send a message that it is necessary for countries to cooperate effectively, “more than ever before” in order to address the greatest challenges facing the planet which is none other than climate change.

He said education for sustainable development is given a special emphasis in the sense that the new strategy framework for education for sustainable development will be part of the discussions. This education strategy, he said, focuses in the goals of the Global 2030 Agenda and takes into account all other parallel regional and international policies related with education with the ultimate goal of establishing educational organisations that will empower young people and civil society in sustainable attitudes and sustainability issues.

“Education is our hope but also can be the driving force for action,” he added. The Minister also said that, on the occasion of the summit, a high-level ministerial event on the Mediterranean Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development and its Action Plan towards 2030 will be held. He said that more than 60 youth organisations will participate in the ministerial discussions “and will decisively define their own role as contributors in designing our common policies.” The conference also provides a unique opportunity for interdepartmental and interministerial cooperation which, he said, “is the key to confronting the emerging challenges and risks we are facing as humanity because of the climate crisis.”

The joint report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) were presented by UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, Sonja Leighton-Kone.

“The findings of this assessment almost halfway through Agenda 2030, must be a wake-up call for the region,” said Algayerova. She added that the “historic drought the region faced this summer announced what we should expect in years to come and shows that there is no more time to lose”. Algayerova noted that, as highlighted in the report, the UN has developed multiple tools and approaches to cut pollution, step-up environmental protection, reduce resource use and foster the shift to a circular economy. “Their implementation must be significantly accelerated. This will require urgent and bold political commitment and behavioural changes from all of us before it is too late,” she said.

Leighton-Kone said that this crisis “forced us to see that it is not possible to take energy, food, safety for granted.” In every crisis, however, she said, there is an opportunity and countries are making and will need to make decisions in order to seize  the opportunities. “We hope that they will also think about future generations when doing so,” she added.

She said that renewable energy provides security, reducing exposure to the volatility of fossil fuel prices and that now is therefore time to accelerate the shift into clean energy.  

The UNEP official said that humanity has been good at creating problems but is getting better at solving them. First step before solving a problem, she said, is to identify it, which is why the pan-European assessment is so relevant. She that that, it’s a really special x-ray “that will help us understand our illness on the planet and it’s also a prescription giving us several medical options”.

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