Concluding Meeting of 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum took place in Prague
18.09.2024 / 14:29 | Aktualizováno: 18.09.2024 / 14:39
On September 12 and 13, 2024, the Concluding Meeting of the 31st OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum took place in Prague, focusing in particular on climate change and digitalization. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský spoke within the opening session of the meeting. Malta, as the OSCE Chairpersonship-in-Office, was represented by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Christopher Cutajar. Speaking on behalf of the OSCE Secretariat was Kate Fearon, Director of the OSCE Centre for Conflict Prevention, who is in charge of the Secretariat until the election of the organization's new Secretary-General.
This year's theme was "Enhancing security and stability in the OSCE region through digital innovation, contributing to sustainable development and climate adaptation". On this occasion, representatives of the OSCE participating States, international organizations, academia, private sector and civil society discussed a wide range of topics related to economic and environmental stability in the light of digitalization. These topics included, inter alia, related security risks, policies to guide the use of artificial intelligence, the promoting of technological innovation to reduce risks of natural and man-made disasters, measures to mitigate the economic, environmental and social impacts of climate change, as well as the enhancement of transparency and accountability through digital tools, open data and good governance.
The current topic of the war in Ukraine resonated throughout the entire program of the meeting. "We appreciate the OSCE's work on assessing potential security risks posed by climate change," Minister Lipavský said at the meeting. "Russia's aggression against Ukraine has reminded us how very topical this issue is in the OSCE regional context. The effects of the war have a direct impact on global greenhouse gas emissions, both locally and internationally, as well as on Ukraine's efforts to decarbonize its economy and adapt to climate change." In the opening session, Ms. Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, spoke about the enormous damage caused to the Ukrainian economy, agriculture and environment, as well as the disruption of global food trade as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The Economic and Environmental Forum is an official meeting of the OSCE, consisting of two preparatory meetings and the concluding meeting in Prague. It is attended by senior experts and diplomats from 57 OSCE participating States. It is the most important meeting of the OSCE's economic and environmental dimension, an area of the organization's work that focuses on the links between security and economic development and environmental issues. The concluding meeting is traditionally held in Prague in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is one of the most important meetings of international organizations that are regularly held in the Czech Republic.