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Transcript
Reykjavík,08October2016|FORIMMEDIATERELEASE
ARCTICCIRCLEPRIZE
AWARDEDFORTHEFIRSTTIME
Participantsfromover40countriesattheArcticCircleAssembly
TheArcticCirclePrizewasawardedforthefirsttimeattheArcticCircle
Assemblyon8thOctoberinReykjavík’sHarpaConferenceCenter.ArcticCircle
ChairmanÓlafurRagnarGrímsson(PresidentofIceland1996-2016)awardedthe
PrizetoBanKi-moon,Secretary-GeneraloftheUnitedNations,inrecognitionofhis
leadershipininternationalclimatediplomacy,whichMr.Grímssondescribedas“an
actofextraordinarystatesmanship,courageandvision”givenpoliticaloppositionat
thetimehetookuphismandate.
ThePrize,Mr.Grímssonsaid,wasintendedtohonor“individuals,
institutions,orassociationswhoseworkhasbeenofcriticalimportancetothe
futureoftheArctic.”ThedecisiontoawardthePrizetoBanKi-moonwasattributed
totheSecretary-General’skeyroleinthesuccessoftheCOP21ParisClimate
negotiations,whichMr.Grímssondescribedas“ashiningexampleofhisunique
personalcommitmentandthebestendeavorsoftheUnitedNations.”
OnthestageofHarpaConferenceCenter’sSilfurbergHall,Mr.Grímsson
presentedtheSecretary-Generalwithatestimonialdocumentfortheawardbound
inIcelandicsalmonskin,symbolizingthedependenceoftheworld’soceanfood
systemsonastableclimate,togetherwithaglasssculpturebyIcelandicartistSigrún
ÓlöfEinarsdóttirevocativeofglacialice.
TheArcticCirclePrizewasestablishedinrecognitionoftheimportanceof
“acknowledgingthegreatestcontributionstoourcommonchallenges,”Mr.
Grímssonsaid,andthedecisiontoawardthePrizetoBanKi-moonwasmade
because“withoutthesuccessofaglobalagreementontheclimate,theArcticwould
beingreatperil.”
TheceremonytookplaceoneyearafterPresidentFrançoisHollandeof
Franceurgedworldleadersatthe2015ArcticCircleAssemblytostrengthentheir
commitmentstoanaccordatthe2015UnitedNationsClimateChangeConference
(COP21).TheawardingofthePrizethisyearacknowledgedtheSecretary-General’s
workin“bringingthenationsoftheworldtogetherinacomprehensiveclimate
agreement.”
UponacceptingthePrize,theSecretary-Generalacknowledgedhisown
effortsinclimatenegotiations,butemphasizedtheimportantcontributionsfrom
governmentalandcivilsocietyleaders,whom,heargued,deservedtosharethe
prizewithhim.Heacceptedtheprize“onbehalfoftensofthousandsofdedicated
leaders”in“business,civilsociety,andNGOs”whohaveworkedwiththeUnited
Nationsintheclimatechangeendeavors.“Irepresentonlyasmallsegmentofthat
effort.”
Mr.BandidnotdenythattheParisAgreementwasindeedgroundbreaking,
notingthattheratificationoftheParisAgreementmarked“record-breaking”
ratificationnumbers,with191countrieshavingratifiedtheagreement.TheParis
Agreementbrokethepreviousrecord-holdingagreementontheUnitedNations
ConventionoftheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS).
Still,despitethepoliticallyhistoricalsuccessoftheParisAgreement,Mr.Ban
stressedthatitwastimeto“turnourwordsintodeeds”inreducingemissions,and
thatitwasadditionallynecessarytofind“financialresourcestohelpdeveloping
countries”mitigateclimateeffects.Callingattentiontotheurgencyofsuchaction,
Mr.Banquipped,“ThereisnoPlanBbecausewedonothaveaPlanetB.”
“TheArcticisGroundZeroforclimatechange,”theSecretary-Generalstated,
mentioningthemanygeophysicalchangescurrentlyinprocessintheArcticasa
resultofclimatechange,includingthemeltingofseaandlandice,aswellas
especiallypermafrostthaw,whichthreatenstocreateafeedbackloopofwarming
fromthefurtherreleaseofgroundmethane.
Amongvariouspoliticalandbusinessactionsnecessaryforcontinued
momentumincombatingclimatechange,theSecretary-Generalmadeparticular
mentionofthe“centuries-oldwisdom”ofindigenousArcticpeoples,whichhe
consideredvitalforthefutureofwell-beingofArcticsocieties,aswellasnonindigenouscommunities.
TheSecretary-GeneralthankedformerPresidentGrímsson,aswellasPrime
MinisterSigurðurIngiJóhannssonandMinisterforForeignAffairsLiljaDögg
Alfréðsdóttir,fortheinvitationtoIceland.
Participantsfrommorethan40countrieswerepresentinHarpaontheday
oftheceremony,includingministersandpoliticalrepresentativesfromnumerous
countries,directorsofscientificresearchinstitutionsandinternational
environmentalorganizations,aswellasleadersofindigenousassociationsand
businesses.Intotal,theAssemblyprogramlistsmorethan400speakerstakingpart
inover90sessions.
Forfurtherinformation,contacttheArcticCircleSecretariatat
[email protected],SigríðurBlö[email protected],or
[email protected].
Photos:http://ow.ly/QwTv304YY38
Attribution:ArcticCircle