Posted on 26 May 2023
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) finished up in Bangkok on 19 May, having bought together leaders from across the wider region to discuss climate action. Coinciding with this year’s theme "Accelerating climate action in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable development,” leaders at the summit discussed policy, climate finance and ongoing climate cooperation.
The major outcome of the event was the endorsement of the UN resolution, including 10 resolutions to strengthen nations resilience to climate change. However, Mark Brown, Cook Islands Prime Minister, still called for more action, and acknowledged past negligence on the issue.
Regarding the 2015 Paris Agreement, he stated "for the Blue Pacific this represented a monumental leap forward in our fight for climate justice, but regretfully the follow through has been slow and disappointing,"
He goes onto express the financial barriers in building capabilities to combat climate change. “For many of us here today, access to finance remains a critical barrier to our pursuits to accelerate climate action."