Guinea-Bissau's PM demands climate JUSTICE, not charity, at COP31

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Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Elidio Vieira Te called for greater international climate financing at the COP31 Leaders Summit in Antalya, Turkiye, on Thursday, warning that climate change threatens his country's development and security.  "We are not asking for privileges. We are demanding justice, equity and opportunities for development," Te said.  "The international community must understand that investing in the resilience of vulnerable countries is not an act of charity, but a collective responsibility and an investment in the stability of the planet," he added.  Te warned that Guinea-Bissau is particularly vulnerable to climate change despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions.  "For us, climate change is not merely an environmental challenge. It represents a threat to development, human security and national sovereignty itself," he said.  "We call for international commitments to be honoured, prioritising grants and concessional financing mechanisms that do not increase the debt burden of vulnerable countries," he continued.  Around 26.3% of Guinea-Bissau's territory is protected, while the Bijagos Archipelago gained UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2025. COP31 runs from 9 to 20 November.  Follow us on: WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/ https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya  Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4AGk  98.4 Capital FM 93.0 Western Kenya 98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri 104.5 Malindi 102.7 Garissa 103.9 Meru 106.5 Kitui 104.9 Voi  #CapitalFmKenya

Transcript

00:00Guinea-Bissau, despite its significant contribution to the global emissions of gases with efeitos of estufa,

00:07is found among countries particularly vulnerable to the impact of this crisis.

00:14For us, the climate change is not only a environmental challenge.

00:20They represent a threat to the development, to the human safety and national sovereignty.

00:26The Guinea-Bissau has approximately 26,3% of its territory,

00:33abranged by areas protected,

00:35demonstrating its commitment to the conservation of biodiversity.

00:40The inscription on the Archipelago of Bijagos,

00:42on the Mato Minho, on the list of World Natural Patrimônio Mundial and Unesco,

00:46in July 2025, represents the international recognition

00:51of the effort for the environmental preservation.

00:56This conservation of ecossistema

00:59constitutes a service prested to humanity

01:01that deserves recognition and financial compensation adequate.

01:06First, the climate change is just and accessible.

01:10And we defend the commitment of the international commitments,

01:14privileging subventions and mechanisms concessionaires

01:17that don't aggravate the unemployment of the vulnerable countries.

01:21We don't condemn privilege.

01:23We condemn justice, equity and opportunity of development.

01:28The international community needs to understand that

01:31investing in the resilience of vulnerable countries

01:33is not an act of charity, but a collective responsibility

01:38and an investment in the stability of the planet.

01:42There will not be sustainable development without adequate financing.

01:47And there will not be a future security for humanity

01:51without a collective action,

01:52collective action, ambitious and consequent.

01:54That Antalya is remembered as a conference

01:57in which the international community transformed

02:00the dialogue in consensus

02:02and consensus in a ação congrats.

02:05Diálogo para aproximar, consensus para avançar, ação para transformar.

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Transcript

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