Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine at the UN Security Council Open Debate “Threats to international peace and security: Sea-level rise: implications for international peace and security”

Madam President, distinguished members of the Security Council,

We thank the Maltese Presidency for convening this important debate and thank all briefers for their comprehensive presentations.

Ukraine has always been a promoter of intensified and concerted actions to address climate change as a global threat to international peace and security. In particular as an elected Security Council member in 2016-2017, Ukraine organized in April 2017 an Arria-formula meeting on security implications of sea-level rise.

It is a common understanding that rising sea levels undermines the viability of low-lying regions around the world that do not feature higher-lying areas. Particularly, small island developing states will be affected by rising sea levels that will inevitably undermine prospects of their further existence. Up to 73 percent of island states will face increasingly dry conditions by the middle of this century while rising sea levels are swallowing up their coastlines. It is not just a matter of climate. It is a matter of the security of these countries and broader – the global security.

Displacement of people and destruction of critical infrastructure, changes in coastlines, caused by sea-level rise, are particularly worrisome in regions already characterized by political and socio-economic tensions and may result in additional or enhanced threats to peace and security.

At the same time, climate-induced sea-level is mostly a slow-onset event that provides Member States and the United Nations in general with significant time to prepare and respond.

It is a matter of alarm that aggressive behavior of russia has been multiplying conflicts and thus undermining our ability to concentrate on resolving global threats already existed. It shows interlinkages within the global security architecture, as the russian invasion of Ukraine affected world’s capabilities to efficiently address the climate-related threats.

The war has also aggravated the food crisis throughout the globe, affecting mostly those countries suffering from the existing manifestations of climate change, in particular catastrophic droughts, large-scale floods.

It means that as soon as comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the UN Charter principles, is achieved, our common actions to combat such global threats as climate change and protect countries exposed to sea-level rise would be more efficient and targeted.

Thank you.