PAM Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Amb. Gerhard Putman Cramer, participated and contributed to the UNCTAD – UN Trade Forum: SDGs and Climate Change, held in Geneva from 9 to 13 September.
The idea of the this Forum stems from the need to boost ambitions and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as reiterated by the UN Secretary General, H.E. Antonio Guterres, who will convene the 2019 Climate Summit, in New York, on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly.
The conclusions of this Forum aimed at providing the UN Climate Action Summit, held in New York in these days, with recommendations from the trade and development community, particularly for what concerns finance, technology and capacity building and the role of trade in leveraging co-benefits, such as economic diversification, jobs, innovation, better management and communications.
Oceans, coastlines and coastal communities were at bulk of the meeting, as the first and most affected areas by sea-level rise, unpredictable and increased magnitude storms, flooding and land erosion, among other causes.
PAM’s role and commitment on Climate change mitigation and sustainable trade and finance ecosystems have been highlighted. Amb. Putman Cramer further stressed that tackling the root causes of global warming, land degradation, desertification, food insecurity, health hazards, threats to marine ecosystems and waste management are at the heart of PAM’s 2nd Standing Committee agenda and the Assembly remains a unique forum of parliamentary diplomacy to facilitate harmonised and sustainable legislative frameworks.
Amb. Putman Cramer had also the opportunity to bring the outcomes of the PAM meeting on Alternative capital markets for economic growth in the Mediterranean, held in Milan, on 4 and 5 July this year, to the attention of the participants and the proposal launched during the meeting, and welcomed by PAM MPs, to convene the first PAM/WTO Parliamentary Forum on Trade facilitation at the WTO HQs in Geneva, in June 2020.
Many demonstrated great interest in PAM pioneering and impactful efforts, and a number of delegates already contacted the PAM Secretariat for future activities.