Jordan’s address at COP29

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,

On behalf of Jordan, I thank His Excellency President Ilham Aliyev and the people and government of Azerbaijan for hosting this important summit.

We have gathered here under the banner of solidarity: The family of nations joining as one to protect the planet we share.

We all know that without common action, we are destined to fall short.

Yet, we meet at a moment when faith in our ability to stand together is broken. When global norms, including the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, are being flouted with impunity. When trust in the international community to stand up for its own values has collapsed. When humanitarian violations are broadcast daily, for the whole world to see, yet continue to be ignored and dismissed without consequence.

Saving our planet must start from the premise that all lives are worth saving.

The solidarity we need depends on embracing that truth.

Yet, over the past 13 months, the world has stood by as thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza—the majority women and children.

How can we work together for our shared future, when some are deemed unworthy of one?

The ongoing violence in my region undermines peace and security beyond its borders. In the end, this will benefit no one.

My part of the world is already exposed to the harsh realities of climate change—to heat, to drought, to loss of biodiversity.

The war is compounding environmental challenges, for Gaza and beyond.

A recent United Nations Environment Programme study highlighted contamination of land, water, and air. Sewage and waste management systems have been destroyed. Entire communities are now graveyards of debris.

Another study found that rebuilding Gaza will result in total emissions higher than the annual emissions of more than 135 countries.

An inclusive, just approach to the climate challenge requires that we address the links between climate, peace, and security.

Nowhere is this clearer than among global refugee communities and their hosts, who are some of the most vulnerable to climate change.

During COP27, His Majesty King Abdullah II launched the global Climate-Refugee Nexus Initiative. Fifty-eight countries have signed on to date—and we invite others to join.

One in every three people living in Jordan is a refugee, and our infrastructure is feeling the strain. We face rising demand on stressed resources and services, including water, health, and education.

And while we in Jordan have made significant strides in clean energy, water conservation, and climate-smart agriculture, these efforts are not enough.

We need to rally communities around climate action and secure a better future for our youth and generations to come.

In my country, we are implementing climate policies while grappling with the impacts of conflict, yet we cannot solve these twinned crises alone.

As our Summit works toward a New Collective Quantified Goal, we must prioritize refugee-hosting countries, especially those in climate hotspots, and ensure that global climate financing mechanisms uphold accountability and transparency for all.

Just as urgently, we must rebuild trust in the international community itself, and acknowledge past failures. Our inability to collectively do what is right is turning us into passive observers… fully aware, yet unwilling to act.

As His Majesty King Abdullah II has said, no one is a bystander in the fight for life on Earth.

That means fighting against climate change, fighting for peace, and fighting to alleviate human suffering together.

Because every life is worth fighting for.

Thank you.