Commonwealth Secretary-General calls for climate action
The Commonwealth
Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has expressed her profound sadness at the
devastation caused by Cyclone Kenneth which has ravaged Mozambique today.
She said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by Cyclone
Kenneth in Mozambique, the strongest cyclone yet to have hit the country.
“Its occurrence so soon after Cyclone Idai last month signals a troubling
increase in the frequency of such natural disasters, and the urgent and
fundamental need to build resilience at all levels in our communities.
“The Commonwealth stands ready to support the Government and people of
Mozambique in any way it can, as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods. I would
like to commend all those institutions, both public and private, and all the
countries within our Commonwealth family and beyond who have rallied to
Mozambique’s support after Cyclone Idai and urge them to redouble their efforts
in the face of the devastation caused by Cyclone Kenneth.
“We must remain vigilant and continue to work together with ever-increasing
determination and vigour in order to respond to the existential threat which we
now face as a result of the rapidly changing climate. We have already started
our holistic regenerative programme of work under our Common Earth and Blue
Charter banners but we will do more. Together we must wake up to these
developments and mobilise to address the reality of climate change.
“The Commonwealth will continue to support its member countries develop robust
policies, and help them gain access to funding to address climate-related
disasters through the Disaster Risk Finance Portal and the Climate Finance
Access Hub.”
Media contact:
Josephine
Latu-Sanft
Senior Communications Officer
Commonwealth Secretariat
