As a candidate country for the United Nations Security Council term for 2025/26, Greece attributes great importance to tackling the impact of climate change and reaffirms its unwavering support towards the adoption of policies, either national or global, which can ensure effective and sustainable solutions.
Participating in COP28 with a national pavilion, Greece was the host of several side events, kicking off in parallel with the Conference’s works. On December 1, Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costas Fragoyiannis hosted the inaugural event at the presence of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, where he introduced the 9th “Our Ocean Conference,” which will be held in Greece, in April 2024. As an island nation, Greece places particular emphasis on matters of maritime security, while at the same time, it is fully aware of its responsibility as global leader in maritime transport, as well as of its commitment towards the decarbonization of shipping. The Greek initiatives were also highlighted during another side event, where the public had the opportunity to be informed about the “GR-eco Islands” project, an innovative idea, already yielding tangible results, which aspires to transform the country’s islands to pioneer enclaves of sustainable development.
The following day, Deputy Foreign Minister Costas Fragoyiannis was the key-note speaker of the side event “Climate, Peace and Security: Lessening the Risk of Conflicts,” where he emphasized the necessity and vitality of multilateral cooperation in addressing the climate crisis. The event was also addressed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Egypt, Amb. Hatem Al Atawi, while the President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Prof. Jeffrey Sachs moderated the discussion.
Finally, the Greek leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Environment & Energy shared the floor with the UN-Habitat Global Chief Heat Officer, Prof. Lenio Myrivili, and held an interesting fire-side chat regarding Greece’s policies for addressing climate change.