Skopje, 12 November 2024 (MIA) - President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova addressed Tuesday the first plenary session of the high-level segment for heads of state and government within the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

"We have gathered here at COP29 amid a war. The good news, as some would suggest, is that the aggressor is suffering big losses and will probably lose the war. The bad news is that the aggressor is humanity itself, with its unsustainable production and consumer habits," said President Siljanovska Davkova.

Unless we manage to keep global warming under 1.5C by 2050, she added, we will have to think about suitable places for habitation and survival rather than sustainability and growth.

Siljanovska Davkova said children, vulnerable populations and small developing nations are the ones that suffer the most in the war against nature, the President's Office said in a press release.

"Located in one of the most vulnerable climate regions in the world - the Mediterranean - we must adapt our security, defense, energy, health, tourism, water, education and other systems to this multidimensional challenge, which should also involve women, children and youth. We have supported the declarations for advanced action in the field of tourism and water. In addition, I have designated an expert on climate change in the National Security Council and we joined the Group of Friends on Climate and Security," said Siljanovska Davkova.

Our goal, she noted, is to speed up the transition towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors - energy, transport, industry and agriculture.

"In order to achieve green growth, we will invest in green jobs and retrain workers from carbon-based energy production. Sustainable energy transition must be environmentally and socially just. By adopting the Law on Climate Action, we will introduce a legal framework on monitoring, reporting, verification and accreditation. Furthermore, we will adopt a revised Law on Energy and a new law on renewable sources," said Siljanovska Davkova.

The President said these laws are part of the challenging “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity" cluster in the EU accession negotiations, and require EUR 3.1 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency, funds provided through the Economic and Investment Plan and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

Siljanovska Davkova highlighted that countries should have permanent access to climate action funds prior to their EU membership.

"We need a peace treaty, a natural contract as French philosopher Michel Serres put it, so that we stop treating nature as an adversary and start treating it as a partner. The Paris Agreement and the sustainable development goals represent the foundations of that natural contract. Let's implement them in line with the pacta sunt servanda principle," underlined Siljanovska Davkova.

Photo: President's Office