Protection of Global Climate for Present and Future Generations of Humankind

A/RES/76/205View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 20dProtection of global climate for present and future generations of humankind, published in 2021.

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17 versions · 2010–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/138

2025A/RES/80/138Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankindLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/206Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankindCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/153Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankindCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/77/165Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankindCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/205Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankindCompare with previous version

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What subjects does this mandate have?

5 topics

Climate Change Conferences Environmental Agreements Environmental Protection Sustainable Development

What does this mandate say?

26 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, expresses profound alarm that the emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise globally, remains deeply concerned that all countries, particularly developing countries, are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and are already experiencing an increase in such impacts, including persistent drought and extreme weather events, land degradation, sea level rise, coastal erosion, ocean acidification and the retreat of mountain glaciers, further threatening food security, water availability and livelihoods, and efforts to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions and achieve sustainable development, recognizes the substantial risks posed by climate change to health, and emphasizes in this regard that mitigation of and adaptation to climate change represent an immediate and urgent global priority;

Urges Member States to adopt a climate- and environment-responsive approach to COVID-19 recovery efforts, including by aligning investments and domestic policies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the goals of the Paris Agreement for its parties, and the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in order to build back better and accelerate a transition to low-emission, climate-resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies, in this regard stresses the need to strengthen the global response to climate change by increasing the ability of countries to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, fostering resilience, accelerating the full implementation of all the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda and integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, urges parties to the Paris Agreement to communicate or update ambitious nationally determined contributions by 2020, noting that article 4, paragraph 3, of the Agreement states that each party’s successive nationally determined contribution will represent a progression beyond the party’s then current nationally determined contribution and reflect its highest possible ambition, reflecting its common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances, encourages parties to formulate and communicate long-term strategies on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge and with a view to achieving the purpose of the Agreement and make financial flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development, and stresses the importance of mobilizing means of implementation from all sources, including adequate financial support, inter alia, for mitigation and adaptation, taking into account the specific needs and special circumstances of developing countries, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change;

Reaffirms the Paris Agreement and its early entry into force, encourages all the parties to the Agreement to fully implement the Agreement and parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, where appropriate, as soon as possible, and highlights the synergies between the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement;

Recalls that the Paris Agreement, in enhancing the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including its objective, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change, increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a manner that does not threaten food production, and making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development;

Welcomes the nationally determined contributions submitted to date, and recalls that the regular updating of such contributions will reflect the highest possible level of ambition, in the light of different national circumstances, and provide the information necessary for clarity, transparency and understanding, in accordance with the relevant decisions;

Notes with concern that, according to the synthesis report on nationally determined contributions recently published by the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the nationally determined contributions presented thus far by the parties to the Paris Agreement are not sufficient and that action is needed to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, underlines the importance of the request in decision 1/CP.21 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention to the Parties to the Paris Agreement, as appropriate, to communicate or update by 2020 their nationally determined contributions, and also notes with concern the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the first part of the Sixth Assessment Report entitled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, in which the Intergovernmental Panel indicates that global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels will be exceeded during the twenty-first century, unless deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades;

Stresses the urgent need to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events, and in this regard urges Member States to continue to engage in adaptation planning processes and to enhance cooperation, namely disaster risk reduction;

Welcomes the Paris Agreement work programme, commonly referred to as the Katowice Rulebook, adopted at the third part of the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, and encourages Parties to the Paris Agreement to finalize outstanding decisions in upcoming sessions;

Takes note of the report of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention;

Emphasizes the need for collective efforts to promote sustainable development in its three dimensions in an innovative, coordinated, environmentally sound, open and shared manner;

Underlines the need to address the economic, social and environmental impacts of climate change, and emphasizes the need for action at all levels, to enhance efforts to build resilience through, inter alia, the sustainable management of ecosystems, and to build resilience to reduce the impacts and costs of natural disasters;

Recognizes that enhanced access to international climate finance is important to support mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, and also recognizes the ongoing efforts in this regard;

Notes with deep regret that the goal of developed countries party to mobilize jointly 100 billion United States dollars per year by 2020 in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation has not yet been met, while welcoming the increased pledges made by many developed countries party and the “Climate finance delivery plan: meeting the US$100 billion goal” and the collective actions contained therein, urges developed countries party to fully deliver on the goal of 100 billion United States dollars urgently and through 2025, and emphasizes the importance of transparency in the implementation of their pledges, recalls the decisions to set a new collective quantified climate finance goal from a floor of 100 billion United States dollars per year and by 2024, and welcomes the establishment of an ad hoc work programme for this purpose, notes with concern that the current provision of climate finance for adaptation remains insufficient to respond to worsening climate change impacts in developing countries party, welcomes the recent pledges made by many developed countries party to increase their provision of climate finance to support adaptation in developing countries party in response to their growing needs, including contributions made to the Adaptation Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund, which represent significant progress compared with previous efforts, and urges developed countries party to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries party from 2019 levels by 2025, in the context of achieving a balance between mitigation and adaptation in the provision of scaled-up financial resources, and emphasizes the urgency of scaling up action and support, including finance, capacity-building and technology transfer, to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change in line with the best available science, taking into account the priorities and needs of developing countries party;

Acknowledges the work undertaken under the auspices of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, and encourages non-party stakeholders to scale up their efforts to address and respond to climate change;

Recalls the holding of the Climate Action Summit convened by the Secretary-General on 23 September 2019, also recalls the multi-partner initiatives and commitments presented during the Summit and further recalls the Youth Climate Summit, held on 21 September 2019;

Also recalls the convening by the President of the General Assembly of the high-level meeting during the seventy-third session of the General Assembly on the issue of the protection of the global climate for present and future generations of humankind in the context of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda;

Reiterates the resolve of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as set out in paragraphs 3 and 4 of its decision 1/CP.19, to accelerate the full implementation of the decisions constituting the agreed outcome pursuant to its decision 1/CP.13 and to enhance ambition in the pre-2020 period in line with decision 1/CP.21, in order to ensure the highest possible mitigation efforts under the Convention by all parties;

Welcomes the further acceptance or ratification of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol by 146 countries and one regional economic integration organization, meeting the threshold for its entry into force, and welcomes the efforts of those parties that were already implementing the Doha Amendment prior to its entry into force;

Recognizes the importance for all countries of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow-onset events, and the role of sustainable development in reducing the risk of loss and damage, and in that regard looks forward to the outcome of the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts, in the context of relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and article 8 of the Paris Agreement;

Welcomes the convening of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the third session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, presided over by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in partnership with the Government of Italy, in Glasgow, from 31 October to 13 November 2021, and the adoption of its outcomes by parties, including the Glasgow Climate Pact, and looks forward to its full and urgent implementation, and further takes note of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use;

Looks forward to the hosting by the Government of Egypt of the twenty-seventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, in 2022;

Urges Member States, taking into account that women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate change owing to gender inequalities and the dependence of many women on natural resources for their livelihoods, to promote the integration of a gender perspective into environmental and climate change policies and to strengthen mechanisms and provide adequate resources towards achieving the full and equal participation of women in decision-making at all levels on environmental issues, and stresses the need to address the challenges posed by climate change that affect women and girls in particular, including through the full implementation of the new gender action plan adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at its twenty-third session, and looks forward to its review with a view to advancing towards the goal of promoting gender-responsive and equal and meaningful participation of women in support of climate action;

Recalls the action plan for integrating sustainable development practices into Secretariat-wide operations and facilities management submitted by the Secretary-General and endorsed in its resolution 72/219;

Notes the ongoing work and potential of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, established for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best practices on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner, and recalls decision 2/CP.23 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Platform’s purpose and functions and decision 2/CP.24 of the Conference of the Parties on the Platform’s governance and further operationalization;

Decides to include in the United Nations calendar of conferences and meetings for the years 2022 and 2023 the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and its subsidiary bodies envisaged for the years 2022 and 2023;

Invites the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to report, through the Secretary-General, to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session, on the work of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-seventh session, under the item entitled “Sustainable development”, the sub-item entitled “Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankind”.

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