Speech by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio at the UNGA High-Level Meeting on “Addressing the threats posed by sea-level rise” in New York on 25 September 2024

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

Sea-level rise is not only about estimating the centimeters of water rising at distinct geographical places. It is about people, their homes and livelihoods, and about cultural and natural heritage and adaptation.

Sea-level rise is a major concern for many States, and it must be addressed in a comprehensive way. Recognizing the legal framework, created by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other rules of international law and awaiting the outcome of the work by the International Law Commission, my main focus today will be on climate adaptation.

Many island and coastal communities around the world are already facing the consequences of sea-level rise. We are witnessing displacement of populations, loss of arable land and livelihoods and destruction of infrastructure.

There is an urgency to act and our response must match the scale of the challenge.

Adapting to sea-level rise requires a multidimensional approach. Investing in resilient infrastructure is important, but we need to rethink the relationship between water and land. That is where adaptive land-use planning and innovations in architecture play a key role. The proposed solutions should lead to a transformation that is in harmony with nature, prioritizing nature-based solutions.

At the same time, we must not lose sight of the combined impacts of climate change. In addition to the rising sea level, coastal areas are exposed to increasingly frequent and extreme weather events. Early warning systems need to be at place to enable early action, save lives and reduce the impact of disasters. These systems need to be planned and implemented in a manner that ensures that warnings reach everyone, including those who are most vulnerable, such as persons with disabilities.

Finland is a committed supporter of the UN Secretary General’s Early Warnings for All initiative. We have financed the improvement of weather and climate services of over 50 national meteorological and hydrological services around the globe during the past decade. We can offer top-class weather observation infrastructure, software and training to our partners.

Adaptation is not just about technology and engineering. It is about community resilience. We must engage and educate communities, ensuring that people understand the risks they face and know the actions they can take. Traditional and local knowledge can provide valuable guidance for designing adaptation action and strategies. Local governments, businesses and civil society organizations must work together with communities to develop comprehensive, locally led adaptation plans tailored to the specific conditions of each region.

Finally, I would like to underline that adaptation goes hand in hand with mitigation. We must enhance our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to limit loss and damage.

Adapting to sea-level rise is one of the great challenges of our time, but it is also an opportunity to build a more resilient and sustainable future. By stimulating innovation, fostering collaboration and prioritizing both human and environmental well-being, we can create a world where islands and coastlines can thrive. The time to act is now.