EU Statement – UN General Assembly: A Planet Fit for the Future, Restoring Trust through Climate Action

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Mr President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

Thank you for bringing us together at this important moment - as we look ahead to COP31 just a week after the Pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu.

We meet in a difficult geopolitical context. Divides are deepening, pressure on multilateralism is growing, and climate impacts are accelerating. But our message must remain clear: the Paris Agreement works, and it remains our best defence against climate change impacts and disasters.

It has helped us correct course against a global warming of +3 or 4°C. The alarming findings of the new UNEP report, Limiting Overshoot, is an urgent call to prevent and prepare for the consequences of exceeding global warming of 1.5°C and indicate that our shared goal should be staying as close as possible to 1.5°C and getting back below 1.5°C. That requires rapid, deep and sustained global emissions reductions.

COP31 must show that multilateral climate action remains credible, effective and capable of delivering results. Three years after the first Global Stocktake, it should demonstrate tangible progress on implementation, while preparing the ground for the future.

For the European Union, five priorities will guide our approach.

First, we must uphold science. The best available science, in particular from the IPCC, must remain the foundation of our decisions and our ambition. It is essential that the IPCC's upcoming reports are delivered in time to inform the second Global Stocktake.

Second, we must maintain momentum on implementation.
This means carrying out fully the first Global Stocktake and strong delivery on post-2030 Nationally Determined Contributions. We call on all Parties that have not yet submitted their NDCs: now is the time to do so, and to align them with a 1.5°C pathway.

And at COP31, through the Belém Mission to 1.5, the Global Implementation Accelerator, and the Action Agenda, we should showcase demonstrable and scalable solutions, including nature based solutions and ocean-based climate action that accelerate implementation, mobilise non-state actors, and enhance transparency and accountability.

Third, the global clean energy transition must remain central.
It is essential not only for climate action, but also for energy security, competitiveness and economic resilience. We must continue advancing the outcomes already agreed, including tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency, while ensuring to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner. At the same time, COP31 should help build coalitions of first movers in key areas such as clean electrification, carbon markets. The EU will continue to support global clean electrification, consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement, including through the Electrify Now initiative.

Fourth, we must progress across mandates and deliver on agreed outcomes.

That means that we need to strengthen the Mitigation Work Programme beyond 2026, so it delivers more substantive outcomes and better supports ambitious decarbonisation strategies.

It also means agreeing on a lean and effective Just Transition Mechanism that helps Parties integrate just transition considerations into NDCs, adaptation plans and long-term strategies.

With an expected overshoot of the 1,5 temperature goal, we need a step-change on delivery and implementation of adaptation and resilience. Accelerated adaptation action is required in all countries. We are committed to operationalising the Global Goal on Adaptation and achieving results and impact in the "real world" economy: Focussing on key target in the UAE Framework on Global Climate Resilience such as water and food security and critical infrastructure.

And of course, we should advance the realization of the New Collective Quantified Goal, which is the agreed framework for international climate finance. At COP31, we need practical progress on tracking delivery, improving access to finance, reducing barriers, mobilising investment at scale, and scaling up support for adaptation, especially for the most vulnerable. The EU is the foremost contributor to climate finance. We call on countries, in a position to do so, to also contribute to the achievement of new financial goals.

Fifth, we should begin a process to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the UNFCCC regime, especially in a context of growing demands and tighter resources.

This includes ensuring a safe and unhindered civic space at COP31.

Excellencies,

The road to COP31 requires unity, early engagement and stronger partnerships and we trust in Türkiye and Australia, as COP 31 Presidency, to ensure a positive outcome as well as preserve the integrity of the UNFCCC process, by leading an open, transparent and inclusive process, through engagement with all Parties, including all EU Member States, and observers, safeguarding the respect for sovereign equality of all UN Member States.

The European Union remains fully committed to working with all partners to make COP31 a success.

Thank you.