High-Level Segment of COP 26/CMP 16/CMA 3

Mr President,

At the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille two months ago, 1,500 of IUCN’s Members – which include many governments here today – highlighted the interlinked nature of the biodiversity and climate crises.

The key message from Marseille was that nature is a powerful ally in the fight against climate change and we need to invest in Nature-based Solutions.

The unique value proposition of Nature-based Solutions is that they offer a cost-effective and accessible way to address both adaptation and mitigation simultaneously.

However, we stress that this needs to be done in conjunction with the ambitious and rapid reduction of fossil fuel and other industrial emissions.

This COP has underscored the value and importance of nature as never before. We congratulate the UK COP26 Presidency for prioritising nature and Nature-based Solutions, and note the significant groundswell of support for it among state and non-state actors alike.

We now need to build concretely on this momentum. This is why today, IUCN calls upon all Parties to actively recognise and support the enhanced implementation of Nature-based Solutions in the decision text of the COP.

We believe this would give confidence to all actors to deploy Nature-based Solutions at scale, and help to unlock its full potential in addressing the climate challenge.

In conclusion, I thank and congratulate the United Kingdom for a highly productive COP26.

Thank you.

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