Statement by Commissioner Kadis - UN High-level Plenary Meeting on Sea Level Rise Opening Segment

Mr President of the General Assembly,

Secretary-General Guterres,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sea-level rise is no longer a future challenge. Around one in ten people worldwide live in low-lying coastal areas. 

Many communities already face tangible changes and urgent questions.

Coming myself from Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, I know how profoundly these changes can affect coastal communities and ecosystems.

Limiting global warming remains our first line of defence. At the same time, further sea-level rise is unavoidable. This challenge extends beyond borders, and no country can tackle it alone. 

Effective international cooperation is therefore essential. It allows us to bring together knowledge, resources and partnerships.

This is why yesterday; European Commission President von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Canada Carney launched the Global OceanEye alliance to support ocean observation. More than 30 countries already joined the alliance and pledged more than USD 250 million, for a more comprehensive and effective global ocean observation system. This will in no doubt contribute to better monitor rising sea level.   

Now, we need to ask ourselves: what needs to change between now and 2030? 

I will highlight three main elements: how we plan, how we finance and how we respond. 

First, we need to change how we plan. 

Sea-level rise does not follow political cycles. The decisions we take today - about where we build, where we invest and how we develop our coasts - will shape our exposure and resilience for decades to come.

Long-term sea-level projections need to inform our decisions on infrastructure, investment and coastal development. And we should protect and restore nature as it helps us — through wetlands, dunes, mangroves and other coastal ecosystems.

Second, we need to better finance adaptation. 

We need to move from one-off projects to long-term programmes. Finance must be more predictable, more accessible and better aligned with the needs of the countries and communities most at risk.

The UN system, development banks, bilateral partners, climate funds, and the private sector should work together to avoid parallel processes and missed opportunities for synergies and greater impact. 

Third, our response must put people and communities first. 

Whether it is a city deciding where it is safe to build, or a government protecting its drinking water, or a coastal community deciding what may need to move, people need information they can use.

That means translating science into local risk assessments, stronger ocean and coastal observation and effective early-warnings systems. It also means bringing together scientific, local and traditional knowledge, and involving communities in the decisions that shape their future.

In some places, rising seas will force difficult choices about human mobility, planned relocation, identity and culture. 

But in all cases, international law must remain the foundation for our collective response, as it provides the stability and predictability we need.

Excellencies,

By 2030, success should mean that we are no longer responding on crisis-by-crisis basis and that, instead, long-term resilience is built into the way we plan, the way we invest and the way we respond.

Our cooperation must remain grounded in science, anchored in international law and sustained through effective financing.

Thank you.