Climate Action Week in BiH Concluded: Protecting the Planet a Global Common Priority

(Patria) - The Climate Action Conference, held yesterday at the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathered more than 130 participants, including representatives from all levels of government, local communities, the diplomatic corps, and youth, to discuss the next steps in climate action in BiH.

This was also the concluding event of the Climate Action Week in BiH, which lasted from June 5 to 10, 2022, and was organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the European Union in BiH and other partners, to emphasize that climate change is a challenge that can only be overcome through joint efforts. Within this week, numerous activities were held across the country, such as clean-up campaigns, afforestation, environmental classes with youth, and panel discussions.

The conference was hosted by MPs from the Green Club, which was established with the aim of strengthening public dialogue in the field of energy, issues related to renewable energy sources, climate change, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. 

In his opening address, Saša Magazinović, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH and Chairperson of the Green Club, stated: "I am very happy to be part of a group of people, politicians from different levels of government, who work together and show that, when we put our differences aside for a moment, we can be extremely effective and productive. Protecting the planet is a global common priority."

As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, BiH adopted updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) last year, thus confirming its commitment to fulfilling the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, when world leaders jointly agreed to advance climate action. The adoption of NDCs is of utmost importance, and the most crucial part of the work lies ahead in implementing measures that should contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment. 

Edita Đapo, Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Federation of BiH, emphasized that the environmental protection sector has been reformed at the federal level: "With the adoption of the new Environmental Law, we have adopted five EU directives, and I think the economy, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, feels these reforms the most. Otherwise, the biggest challenge for BiH will be the energy transition, where we will move from the classic model to green energy."

Edin Forto, Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, stated: "I think the solution to the problem lies in recognizing that we have a problem. Current investments in infrastructure are savings for future generations and a change in awareness that we cannot use hydro and wind energy as alternatives, but as primary energy sources." 

Given that this is the European Year of Youth, within the Climate Action Week, a strong focus was placed on the role of youth, with the aim of educating them about the importance of their concrete engagement and providing them with the opportunity to be active participants and players in future actions, which was discussed by Hana Kunić, a member of the Youth Organization AIESEC and a Young European Ambassador from BiH. 

The EU Green Agenda for the Western Balkans has provided concrete recommendations by sector to help our region keep pace with the EU's ambitions for Europe to become a carbon-neutral continent.

Jurgis Vilčinskas, Acting Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH, emphasized: "Climate actions should be at the focus of future-oriented policymaking. This should both mitigate negative effects and leverage opportunities from new technologies. BiH has clearly committed to decarbonizing its economy in the Paris Agreement, the Sofia Declaration, and the Energy Community Treaty. It is high time to act on these commitments and accelerate decarbonization. The EU, together with our partners, is here to help with programs that support decarbonization, but to get more from our assistance, more reforms are needed to ensure that BiH becomes a greener and more competitive economy." 

Dr. Ingrid Macdonald, UN Resident Coordinator in BiH, spoke about the global response to the climate crisis and noted: "Humanity is facing an unprecedented climate crisis that requires ambitious and meaningful action now. The future of our children and future generations depends on us working together in communities and nations. Taking action on climate change can sometimes seem abstract, but we are all already affected by increasing and worsening fires, floods, and other disasters. The United Nations in BiH is fully committed and works daily to support the citizens and authorities of BiH in taking the necessary actions to save our entire future!" 

During the conference, it was emphasized that it is important to strengthen countries' capacity to cope with the impacts of climate change, through the development of new technologies, better education, and financial planning. 

Steliana Nedera, UNDP Resident Representative in BiH, called for the creation and/or implementation of new climate finance tools, which would enable attracting new additional funds to BiH to implement the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): "We have excellent examples of climate actions implemented in the last 12 months. Such climate actions should be carried out on a larger scale, everywhere in BiH, and much faster. We believe that significant results can be achieved in the next five years with the existing public budget resources." 

"Sweden leads a green tradition and aims to be the first country to abandon fossil fuels. In this country, we are one of the main bilateral donors in the field of climate change. The climate crisis is related to security. Climate change will make the fight for limited resources more difficult and increase the number of people who want to leave their homes," said Johanna Strömquist, Ambassador of Sweden to BiH. 

Last year, Italy and the United Kingdom co-chaired COP26. Milan hosted the Pre-Cop summit and the Youth4Climate event, which brought together young people from all over the world, including from BiH. In addition, the Italian Embassy in BiH supports the Green Network, a network of young activists dedicated to promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. Marco Di Ruzza, Ambassador of Italy to BiH, stated: "Italy is fully committed to supporting our local partners in paving the way for a sustainable, smart, healthy, and carbon-neutral future."

Egypt is hosting COP2 this year, which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh in November 2022. The Ambassador of Egypt to BiH, Yasser Abdelrahman Ali Sorour, stated: "As hosts of the COP27 conference, we want to hear the views of all stakeholders and identify areas where we need to progress, taking into account that officials are not solely responsible for facing this challenge. The private sector, non-governmental organizations are also involved, and everyone has their role and everyone must contribute to the fight against climate change. The initiative we will launch during the conference contains these elements. Now is the time for the implementation of the Paris Agreement."