Speech of Prime Minister Charles Michel at the UN Conference on Climate Change

Mr. Secretary General,

Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and Government,

Humanity has always faced major challenges.

It is up to us to make the most of those opportunities.

It is up to us to take up our responsibiulity. Here and now.

As heads of state and government, we have a huge responsibility. For the current generation and the generations to come.

Vigilance alone is not sufficient. We need to act with determination.

Having an ambitious agreement is an absolute necessity. Failure is not an option. The fight against climate change is essential for our joint future, for peace, for security and for development.

I would like to thank France for the excellent work they have done preparing for this summit.

France has managed to get this meeting organised, despite the terror acts it was faced with two weeks ago. This is also a sign that we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated and that we will continue to defend our values, our democracy and our liberties.

Mr Secretary General,

Ladies and Gentlement, Heads of States and Government,

We have the material, human and intellectual resources available to address these challenges.

We have proved as much in the past and we continue to prove this every day. The world in which we live has reached an unprecedented level of prosperity. But there is still a lot of inequality.

Things may be improving, but that does not mean that everything is going well. We still have a very long way to go. Today is about reconciling maintaining the natural balances with humanity’s crucial economic and social development.

Global warming impacts everyone of us, directly or indirectly. It creates tensions, inequality and crises.

Some countries are affected by the consequences more directly than others.

I am thinking about the less developed countries and the small island states in development. We need to provide more support to them.

Mr Secretary General,

Ladies and Gentlement, Heads of States and Government,

Belgium is determined to partake in the global efforts. You know that the European Union speaks with a single voice in these negotiations.

We put the emphasis on research and development. The priavate sector and world of academia are working hard to develop alternative energies.

We are working at all levels– federal, regional and local – to fight global warming and ensure sustainable development.

I would like to particularly stress that Belgium is committed to reducing the non-ETS sector’s greenhouse gas emmissions by 15% by 2020, compared to the 2005 emission levels.

Regarding renewable energy, we want to commit to 13% of Belgium’s total gross energy consumption in 2020 being generated via renewable energy sources.

Lastly, climate funding is also a key part of our debates here in Paris.

Over the last two years, Belgium has paid EUR 175.6 million in climate finance to developing countries. We have contributed EUR 51.6 million to the Green Climate Fund.

Belgium commits itself to proving an annual financing of EUR 50 million until 2020.

We argue in favour of an ambitious, binding and fair agreement, to reach the 2°C goal. We want a clear objective as part of a dynamic agreement.

Governments play a key role in outlining the policy framework. We need to create a positive climate and encourage an ambitious climate strategy.

However, the shift towards a low-carbon and climate-aware society can only be succesful if all stakeholders participate actively: local governments, businesses, investors and citizens.

Mr Secretary General,

Ladies and Gentlement, Heads of States and Government,

We need to justify our actions to the generations to come.

We also owe our support to the people in developing countries.

Extreme energy scarcity has to be a challenge for all of us. 1.3 billion people do not have access to electricity; 2 billion only have limited access to electricity.

Secretaris-generaal Ban Ki-Moon heeft onlangs benadrukt dat energie “de gouden draad is die economische groei, sociale gelijkheid en milieubescherming met elkaar verbindt”.

Mijnheer de secretaris-generaal,

dames en heren staatshoofden en regeringsleiders,

We hebben een afspraak met het lot van de mensheid. Het is tijd voor beslissingen en actie.

We moeten bruggen bouwen, convergenties tot stand brengen en solide akkoorden sluiten met elkaar.

Deze klimaatconferentie moet het belangrijkste evenement van deze eeuw zijn om de mensheid op de weg van de duurzame ontwikkeling te zetten, ten voordele van de vrede en de veiligheid.

Ik dank u.