GA / NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the UN General Assembly that the COVID-19 pandemic “has been the ultimate disrupter,” but it has also provided an opportunity to “reset.” She said, “Like the drafters of the Charter, we owe future generations our commitment to hand down a better world forged through cooperation.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:43
• Production Date: 24 September 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: JACINDA ARDERN
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: GENERAL DEBATE
• Geographic Subject: NEW ZEALAND
• MAMS Id: 2658877
• Parent Id: 2658877
• Alternate Title: unifeed210924j

Description

STORY: GA / NEW ZEALAND
TRT: 3:43
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 24 SEPTEMBER 2021, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

21 SEPTEMBER 2021, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, UN headquarters exterior

24 SEPTEMBER 2021, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“In many ways, COVID-19 is an illustration of global transboundary problems at a local level. Here is an invisible threat, which no one is safe from, and the very thing keeping us safe – is each other. We have placed our trust in the actions of neighbours and strangers – to wear masks, to distance, to get vaccinated and support others to do so, and we live collectively with the consequences.”
4. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“The pandemic has been the ultimate disrupter. It has changed our realities, and given us cause to pause and reflect. In the disruption is an opportunity for us to reset. To adjust some of our fundamental settings to put us in a better position to respond to our shared challenges. We have heard so much about ‘building back better’. We must do better. Like the drafters of the Charter, we owe future generations our commitment to hand down a better world forged through cooperation.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“Pacific leaders view climate change as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the region. Any global response that fails to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is unacceptable. This is our goal, and our collective efforts must achieve it. The latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is stark. The climate crisis cannot be beaten through incrementalism. The science demands that we do so much more.”
8. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“But as we turn our mind to the challenges we face globally, we must turn to the most important thing of all – he tangata, he tangata, he tangata – it is people, people, people. More than 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inequality within and between countries has deepened. These consequences were never inevitable, and there are steps we can take to reverse these trends and improve the lives of those impacted.”
10. Med shot, delegates
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“Peaceful societies are inclusive societies, where diversity is embraced and everyone has both the means and the opportunities to contribute to the fullness of their potential. Where women and girls are lifted up and encouraged to exercise their voice and their agency. Whatever our political or constitutional systems, no nation will ever be truly peaceful in the absence of these basic conditions, founded on the fundamental and equal rights of every person.”
12. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:
“All of these challenges we share might cause us to re-examine our response to being so interconnected. We have a choice. To approach our shared challenges from a place of fear, hoping to protect narrowly defined interests by turning inwards. Or we can reaffirm our trust in cooperation, understanding that our greatest fears can only be tackled by concerted collective action.”
14. Wide shot, General Assembly Hall

Storyline

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told the UN General Assembly that the COVID-19 pandemic “has been the ultimate disrupted,” but it has also provided an opportunity to “reset.” She said, “Like the drafters of the Charter, we owe future generations our commitment to hand down a better world forged through cooperation.”

In a pre-recorded message presented today (24 Sep) to the Assembly, Ardern said, even when global events threaten to disconnect and divide people, a shared instinct to connect with one another still prevails. She said, “In many ways, COVID-19 is an illustration of global transboundary problems at a local level. Here is an invisible threat, which no one is safe from, and the very thing keeping us safe – is each other. We have placed our trust in the actions of neighbours and strangers – to wear masks, to distance, to get vaccinated and support others to do so, and we live collectively with the consequences.”

New Zealand's Prime Minister said no community, nation, or region acting alone can address COVID-19. She said the pandemic is a is a complex, global problem that requires a global solution. She stressed that equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for everyone is essential, without which the world risks further variants developing with the potential of undermining or undoing the progress made.

Ardern said, “The pandemic has been the ultimate disrupter. It has changed our realities and given us cause to pause and reflect. In the disruption is an opportunity for us to reset. To adjust some of our fundamental settings to put us in a better position to respond to our shared challenges. We have heard so much about ‘building back better’. We must do better. Like the drafters of the Charter, we owe future generations our commitment to hand down a better world forged through cooperation.”

The Prime Minister underscored that the international community already has a blueprint for such a world in the Sustainable Development Goals, and the 2030 Agenda, which recognises that as shared challenges are interconnected and so too must be the responses.

Ardern said climate change is one of the most pervasive crises of our time with global impacts on an unprecedented scale.

SOUNDBITE (English) Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:

“Pacific leaders view climate change as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the region. Any global response that fails to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is unacceptable. This is our goal, and our collective efforts must achieve it. The latest science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is stark. The climate crisis cannot be beaten through incrementalism. The science demands that we do so much more.”

The Prime Minister also underscored the need to adapt, adding that her country conducted its first national climate change risk assessment and will have a national adaptation plan within two years. She said New Zealand already has a plan to plant one billion trees by 2028.

Ardern said lifting the ambition of nationally determined contributions is vital, but there are also collective actions that are needed, including bringing an end to fossil fuel and other environmentally harmful subsidies and negotiating an agreement on climate change, trade and sustainability.

The Prime Minister said, “But as we turn our mind to the challenges we face globally, we must turn to the most important thing of all – he tangata, he tangata, he tangata – it is people, people, people. More than 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Inequality within and between countries has deepened. These consequences were never inevitable, and there are steps we can take to reverse these trends and improve the lives of those impacted.”

Ardern said global food systems are neither sustainable nor resilient, adding that transformational change is needed to ensure that everyone has access to the nutrition they need. She said this week’s Food Systems Summit was an important step, and it must be the beginning of an ongoing effort.

The Prime Minister said leaders have a responsibility to foster and sustain peace in societies, but this includes more than the absence of poverty, hunger, and material deprivation.

She said, “Peaceful societies are inclusive societies, where diversity is embraced and everyone has both the means and the opportunities to contribute to the fullness of their potential. Where women and girls are lifted up and encouraged to exercise their voice and their agency. Whatever our political or constitutional systems, no nation will ever be truly peaceful in the absence of these basic conditions, founded on the fundamental and equal rights of every person.”

The Prime Minister said all the challenges the world shares "might cause us to re-examine our response to being so interconnected.” She added, “We have a choice. To approach our shared challenges from a place of fear, hoping to protect narrowly defined interests by turning inwards. Or we can reaffirm our trust in cooperation, understanding that our greatest fears can only be tackled by concerted collective action.”

Ardern said New Zealand is committed to advancing Our Common Agenda and an essential element of this is preparedness. She said no one could argue that the global community as a whole was adequately prepared for a global pandemic, and it is clear that the world will face further global health risks.

The Prime Minister said there are no excuses for remaining unprepared, adding that if any lesson could be drawn from the events of the past 18 months, it is the need for more, and better, cooperation. She said with the need for better cooperation, comes the need for responsive and adaptive global institutions, including the United Nations.