She gave the call on Thursday (September 21, 2023) at a breakfast summit during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which was co-hosted by Tuvalu, Palau, Marshall Islands, and the UN Global Center for Climate Mobility.
"Sea-level rise is a real threat that threatens our survival so we must unite to overcome it," she said while issuing an online press statement, which was accessed on the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' YouTube channel from here on Friday.
Indonesia, as an archipelagic country that is vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels due to climate change, has called for three concrete actions that countries can take to respond to the threat.
First, countries must cooperate in preventing and mitigating the sea-level rise by reducing emissions and slowing the rate of climate change, Minister Marsudi said.
"Even if global warming is capped at 1.5 degrees Celsius, it will not be able to withstand rising sea levels," she warned.
Related news: As sea levels rise, economic damage piles up even faster: Study
Second, she stressed the importance of building the resilience of coastal countries and fishermen in facing the impacts of climate change, especially in order to protect their lives.
In this regard, Indonesia has expressed its readiness to collaborate in carrying out various adaptation efforts, especially in innovative financing, capacity building, and technical assistance.
Third, Marsudi emphasized the importance of maintaining territorial integrity because if that is not handled properly, the issue of rising sea levels could lead to the delimitation of maritime borders.
In fact, this issue could create uncertainty and conflict in the future, she cautioned.
At the "Summit on Addressing the Existential Threats Posed By Sea-Level Rise," Minister Marsudi invited archipelagic and island states to voice their interests and make their presence felt.
She also conveyed Indonesia's plan to hold the High-Level Meeting of the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum on October 11, 2023, in Bali.
Related news: Sea-level rise poses threat to Jakarta, Semarang, Demak coastal areas
Translator: Yashinta P, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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