Austria “will continue to support the most vulnerable countries and communities”, said the Federal President at the “Climate Ambition Summit”. “Austria will provide an additional €220 million in international climate finance between 2023 and 2026,” said Van der Bellen. In a second installment, the contribution to the “Green Climate Fund” will also be increased by almost 25 percent, to a total of 160 million euros. This is absolutely urgent “at a time when we feel the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis across the world”.
According to Van der Bellen, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gives a “brutally honest” perspective: “The 1.5 degree target will be missed unless we act more decisively.”
Commitment to the EU “Green Deal”.
“But we cannot buy our way out of the climate crisis. We have to do our homework and reduce emissions in our own country”, stated the Federal President. Therefore, numerous measures would be taken in Austria to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, such as the decarbonization of electricity production and the creation of a special fund for jobs in the environmental and climate sector.
Van der Bellen: More money for climate protection
At the UN General Assembly, Federal President Van der Bellen reaffirmed Austria’s “climate solidarity” with countries particularly at risk from the climate crisis. Austria will provide more money for climate protection measures in the coming years, the Federal President said in New York.
As a member of the EU, Austria is “fully committed to the European Green Deal”. Because: “We cannot allow ourselves to fail” at the next global climate summit (COP28) in Dubai at the end of the year. The majority of participants at the UN General Assembly “did not remain deaf” to the evidence of climate change, Van der Bellen said after his appearance at a press conference.
There is definitely an awareness that considerable effort is needed to achieve the climate objectives that have been set. But: “The dynamics of climate change have always been underestimated,” says Van der Bellen.
Schallenberg: The time has come for Security Council reform
Foreign Minister Schallenberg saw that it was time for reforms of the body in a debate at the UN Security Council. “Gone are the days when five States had the power to decide for all of us”, stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Russia’s “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” once again demonstrated the committee’s “inability to act”.
APA/Bmeia/Claudia Türtscher Schallenberg and Van der Bellen in New York (photo provided by Itamaraty)
“Let’s not beat around the bush,” demanded Schallenberg. “It is high time we addressed the obvious structural problems. Making the Council more representative, including the inclusion of African countries, and finally having an honest discussion about abolishing the right of veto.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been calling for a reformulation of the body for some time. The UN Security Council currently has five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the USA and Great Britain), each of which can block decisions with a veto. Ten additional members are elected to the committee for two years each. Five of the non-permanent members are reappointed every year.
Harsh criticism of Russia
Regarding the Russian attack on Ukraine, Schallenberg told the UN Security Council: “Let me say very clearly: yes, this is a war in Europe, but it is not a European war.” international order” and a “flagrant and willful violation of the founding charter of our United Nations.”
“Targeted attacks against civilians, as well as barbaric war crimes, irresponsible nuclear threats, and the cynical use of hunger and energy as weapons” must end. Russia must withdraw its armed forces from the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Austria is “militarily neutral”, recalled the ÖVP minister. “But we are never indifferent or neutral when it comes to violations of international law.” The people of Ukraine deserve a just and lasting peace. Austria will therefore “support any initiative that leads to this objective”.