UN Secretary-General António Guterres throughout a roundtable dialogue at COP29 summit in Baku, PHOTO/UNFCCC/Kiara Value.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- UN chief requires transparency, accountability and equity within the vitality transition
- Final yr the quantity invested in grids and renewables overtook the quantity spent on fossil fuels.
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Mr Guterres mentioned the vitality transition from fossil fuels to renewable comply with suggestions of his Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
- The UN Secretary Common mentioned suggestions of the High-Level Expert Advisory Group needs to be adhered to with a purpose to speed up motion on key financial points, together with profit sharing, worth addition and honest commerce.
By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has referred to as for transparency, accountability and equity within the vitality transition from fossil fuels to renewables warning that the vitality shift to renewables may set off a “stampede of greed” that would crush the hopes of the poor.
The UN chief who was talking throughout a roundtable dialogue requested individuals to place into consideration the work of his Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
“We’re right here to answer a key problem: turning the energy transition towards justice,” mentioned UN Secretary-General said.
The panel was launched last year at COP28 within the United Arab Emirates with the purpose of bringing collectively governments, worldwide organizations, trade and civil society to develop frequent and voluntary rules to information extractive industries “within the identify of justice and sustainability”.
In Baku, the UN chief, who convened the panel dialogue, mentioned that the renewables revolution is powering ahead. Final yr – for the primary time – the quantity invested in grids and renewables overtook the quantity spent on fossil fuels.
Previous errors and the push for assets
Demand for the minerals essential to the transition are anticipated to surge – as governments triple international renewables capability by 2030 – as promised – and part out fossil fuels, Mr. Guterres mentioned.
“For creating nations wealthy in these assets, this can be a enormous alternative: to generate prosperity, remove poverty and to drive sustainable growth. However too typically this isn’t the case,” he warned, and added: “Too typically we see the errors of the previous repeated in a stampede of greed that crushes the poor.”
Kids work at a mine in South Kivu within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. PHOTO/ UNICEF/Patrick Brown.
Certainly, the push for assets led to the exploitation of native communities exploited, the trampling of rights and the trashing of environments. “We see creating nations ground-down to the underside of worth chains, as others develop rich on their assets,” mentioned the UN chief.
It was towards the backdrop of this unhappy actuality and calls from creating nations for motion that the Panel had been established, he mentioned.
The Panel’s newest report identifies seven voluntary rules and 5 actionable suggestions to embed justice and fairness throughout essential mineral worth chains.
“These purpose to empower communities, create accountability, and make sure that clear vitality drives equitable and resilient progress. That features advancing efforts to make sure most worth is added in resource-rich creating nations,” the Secretary-Common defined.
The United Nations system is coming collectively to assist implement the Panel’s findings, working with Member States and different stakeholders to determine the really useful High-Level Expert Advisory Group to speed up motion on key financial points, together with profit sharing, worth addition and honest commerce.
Growing nations within the driver’s seat
The UN chief mentioned that creating nations will drive this course of with indigenous peoples, native communities, younger individuals, civil society, trade and commerce unions current at discussions, alongside governments.
“We may also take ahead the really useful international traceability, transparency and accountability framework for the complete mineral worth chain. This may assist to drive accountable manufacturing, safeguarding human rights and the setting,” he added.
All leaders – in authorities, trade and civil society – ought to be a part of the UN and its companions from creating nations, native communities and past, to perform this job, Mr. Guterres insisted.
“As demand for essential vitality transition minerals surges, so should motion. Collectively, allow us to flip the transition in the direction of justice and fairness,” he mentioned.
