Thank you Director General Lu Xinming,  

Chen Qingcang, Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference,

Ambassador Sohail Khan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,

Zhao Yingmin, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Former Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment of China,

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme in China, it is my great honour to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Forum on Green and Sustainable Development in the beautiful city of Ningbo.  

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the organizers for convening this important and timely dialogue on a theme that is of existential importance for the global community.  

Let me begin the discussion this afternoon with the current state of the world.  

In 2015, the world came together at the United Nations to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

It was a moment of ambition, hope, solidarity and belief that together, the global community, with all the knowledge, technology, resources and financial capabilities in hand,  could embark upon the most ambitious development blueprint to protect people and planet.  

The international community has set climate goals with the Paris Agreement, aiming to keep this century’s temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, alongside various targeted Multilateral Environmental Agreements. 

With four years remaining until the 2030 Agenda deadline, progress continues to fall significantly short of expectations. Current trends indicate that global warming is likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next decade. 

The increasing frequency of floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, heatwaves, and rising sea levels is eroding decades of development progress, depleting fiscal investments and infrastructure valued in the billions, and affecting millions of individuals worldwide. 

Moreover, extreme weather events have significant cascading effects on agricultural production.  

Climate-induced food insecurity is increasingly recognized as a significant risk, with cascading impacts including heightened risks associated with vector- and water-borne diseases.  

While we address these challenges, we are all also aware that climate action and human development must advance in tandem, and that a just transition is not an option, but a necessity. 

A people-centred approach in climate and economic policy decisions can profoundly shape outcomes and help ensure that climate solutions remain sustainable while supporting people's livelihoods. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Allow me to share UNDP’s work in this area.  

UNDP currently has the largest climate portfolio in the United Nations system, supporting climate action in more than 140 countries by delivering a portfolio of over US$2 billion in grant financing. 

We are actively supporting developing countries worldwide to design and implement bold climate action - defined in the NDCs, national adaptation plans, long-term development strategies, and green recovery plans. 

In all these initiatives, we collaborate with governments and partners to proactively address the socio-economic implications of transition. We are establishing equitable and practical policy frameworks, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and public-private partnerships, and facilitating access to financing required for effective climate action. 

The one clear lesson is that effective low-carbon transition must be both just and inclusive.  

Allow me to share three points for your kind consideration.  

First, the low-carbon transition represents a strategic opportunity, not an economic burden. 

Accelerating a low-carbon transition and orderly phase-out of fossil fuels is not only a global environmental responsibility, but also a driver of economic growth, job creation and energy security.  

Countries that have significantly adopted renewable energy and green technological innovation have shown that low-carbon development is not a constraint on growth, but rather a new engine for high-quality development and job creation and livelihoods.  

It has the potential of not only creating millions of green jobs but has played a major role in driving down the cost of clean energy worldwide. 

The low-carbon transition offers a triple dividend: stronger energy security, more competitive industries and jobs, and a more sustainable foundation for long-term growth.