Joint Nordic Statement on The Fourth Global Climate and SDG Synergy Conference

Thank you. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic countries: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Denmark.

We live – as we know – in a world increasingly affected by climate change.

We also know that development plans and policies must factor in climate change.

And we know that climate actions must increasingly take into account social and economic impacts, both negative and positive. The two agendas are mutually reinforcing each other. For good and for worse.

Therefore, linking the two agendas of climate action and sustainable development is imperative.

As the UN Secretary General emphasized in February: “Climate action is the 21st century’s greatest opportunity to drive forward all the SDGs”.

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But we need to act on our knowledge.

We must break down the siloes and maximise synergies between the two agendas.

We are wasting time and scarce resources if we do not capitalise on the synergies between sustainable development and tackling the global climate crisis.

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For the Nordic countries, promoting a new development-climate-nexus approach is a top priority.

We have taken clear steps to integrate our development corporation and global climate engagement under one umbrella.

Today, in the case of Denmark, we have a Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy actively promoting synergies between the two agendas.

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In a world where every remote corner and village will be affected by climate change, it simply does not make sense to talk about sustainable development without factor in climate change.

We need to identify and quantify the co-benefits and the risks of climate change in long-term development planning.

Future investment plans must aim for high social returns but also address future climate change risks and limit emissions.

This will not only result in better and climate-proofed investment but also serve to mobilise additional long-term finance.

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In sum: We need actions on a global, national, and local scale.

Getting all stakeholders on board leaving no-one behind.

The Nordic countries encourage all stakeholders to use the possibilities of the SDG Summit to accelerate progress on strengthening synergies between the 2030 agenda and the Paris Agreement.

The purpose is clear: a future-fit development agenda that can maximise synergies between sustainable development and climate change.

Thank you