Members, Statements

Dr. Henry Kokofu – UNGA Event 2020

Dr. Henry Kokofu – UNGA Event 2020

author-sample

Hon. Dr. Henry Kokofu

Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana

Kokofu
Source: Climate Vulnerable Forum

Hon. Dr. Henry Kokofu, Executive Director of the Environment Protection Agency of Ghana

Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders Event

October 7, 2020

YouTube Video of Speech

Honorable Chair, Excellences, Distinguished Participants,

 

I am delighted to join you live from Ghana and to join my brothers and sister leaders and fellow ministers from around the globe. It is vital that as those nations hardest hit by the climate emergency that we stand together, that we stand strong and that we work with each.

 

We all know that Ghana is a climate vulnerable country and have responsibility for this climate struggle, as climate has affected all sectors of the national development. A struggle made even more alarming with the health and economic fallout of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic.

 

There are therefore millions of ordinary people in Ghana and many more in our climate venerable countries around the world today who are faced with the threats of climate change on daily basis. Our people look up to us to make a difference in their plight. And inside Ghana we are doing what we can.

 

Ghana is committed to reducing its carbon footprints, and has taken the decision to increase the renewable energy component of our energy mix from 1% to 10%, by the end of this year.

 

As a part of our unique environmental road map, some sixty thousand (60,000) young people have already been employed to plant trees on degraded land. So far 24 million tress have been planted.

 

We have undertaken major national policy interventions such as the programme for “Planting for Food and Jobs”, “One District, One Factory”, “One Village, One Dam”, implemented not only to boost agricultural production, industrialization and rural development, but also to build our resilience to the impacts of climate change.

 

We are very actively working in parallel on an updated new and better Paris NDC to be delivered this year. Our commitment to action on the implementation of our NDCs will not be complete without forging partnerships. The kind of partnerships we seek are in areas of investments and technical cooperation in resilient landscape, scaling up of renewable energy and fuel diversification for electricity supply.

 

And above all, everything will be wasted if we cannot stop the climate emergency from becoming uncontrollable. The climate Vulnerable Forum members are acting, but we need to world to act with us. That is why Ghana joins you today. We congratulate Bangladesh for bringing us together. Your Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, you are showing the world true leadership.

 

Do count on Ghana to support this Midnight Survival Deadline initiative. We join you in calling on all nations to do their own homework and be ready to delivery stronger NDCs before the end of this year. There can be no excuse not to deliver, especially for advanced and major economies.

 

Our survival and all the world’s prosperity is depending on it.

 

I thank you.

Downloads

Related News