Iván Duque Márquez – UNGA Event 2020

Source: Climate Vulnerable Forum

H.E. Iván Duque Márquez, Honorable President of Colombia

Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders Event

October 7, 2020

Exceptional show of leadership by @IvanDuque 🇨🇴to conclude our global forum today: "Even if we are low emitters of CO2 we have WE HAVE to take the leadership of making the prevention of #climate effects the most important public policy that we undertake" #MidnightClimateSurvival pic.twitter.com/efGaKESlnr

— Climate Vulnerable Forum (@TheCVF) October 7, 2020

Colombia represents the second country in the world with the largest biodiversity per square kilometer.

We are a country that is highly committed to protecting nature, biodiversity, and also to enhance all the instruments to prevent the negative effects of climate change. In the last few years, we have made the largest expansion of non-conventional renewable energies in our country.

We have also approved bills to enhance clean transportation.

We have also launched a circular economy policy that is aimed to produce in the general public, the conscient response to have “reduce reuse and recycle” as mantras of the 21st century ethics.

We have also launched the Leticia Pact to protect the Amazon.

We launched a world coalition to protect the Paramos, which are very important for the world as fabrics of water.

But also, Colombia has 50% of the world’s Paramos, which are considered the most important high mountain ecosystems in the planet.

We have also demonstrated that we are highly committed to plant 180 million trees, and we have made a significant reduction in deforestation.

All these policies are taken by our government, because we consider that protecting the environmental biodiversity is the most important thing we can build for a country and to have a long term legacy. We’re highly motivated that we continue to work with other countries, in all these strategies, and that we assume that even if we are low emitters of CO2, we have to take the leadership of making prevention of climate change effects the most important public policy that we can undertake in the national government and the local governments.

For all these reasons, we are very complete that we are participating in this very important event where many countries share their knowledge, their experiences, and they also share with the world their most important convictions.

So, I welcome that in this event, we can showcase what has been done in Colombia.

Thank you very much.

Statement – Colombia