00:00 Ladies and gentlemen, our overarching goal for this summit is to chart a green growth pathway for the African continent,
00:10 setting the stage for Africa to lead the globe towards a more ecologically responsible global industrialization
00:22 catalyzed by financing that is accessible, adequate and affordable.
00:30 Consequently, the summit does present to us, Africa, an opportunity to develop and presents a new and bold vision
00:41 for Africa as a continent with tremendous potential, abundant opportunities that can be used to solve the climate crisis.
00:53 I therefore call upon all of us here to use the next three days to explore options as to how we can optimize
01:04 Africa's abundant human and natural resources to leapfrog towards a low carbon economy
01:12 while opening new opportunities for climate finance, trade, investment, innovation, resilience and green jobs.
01:22 Excellencies, honorable colleagues, the climate change debate has entered a new era.
01:32 It is no longer just about tackling an environmental or development problem,
01:38 but about addressing climate change in the context of justice.
01:45 We must look at African countries and their high debt distress, contextualizing it with our ability to adapt and mitigate climate change.
01:55 We must look at the impact of climate change to our economies, which are heavily dependent on climate sensitive sectors
02:05 such as agriculture, tourism, fisheries, energy and forestry, among others.
02:12 We must also be cognizant of the climate change nexus with migration and the need to climate proof our infrastructure.
02:23 That is why we are persuaded that if we do not develop adequate response measures to deal with the climate change crisis,
02:32 it will crush us all together.
02:34 Let us therefore step up and lead the world to find solutions for climate change by listening to all voices at this climate summit,
02:45 including from youth, indigenous communities and civil society from Africa and beyond.
02:54 Thank you.
02:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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