Saudi arabia: Saudi Arabia emphasized the importance of preserving the existing international frameworks and principles of the international environmental governance system, foremost among them the Rio Declaration, stressing that any institutional reform should neither create duplication nor weaken the existing frameworks.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the statement was made by Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Alwasil, during the General Assembly briefing on progress made under the UN80 Initiative. This briefing specifically focused on the segment devoted to the assessment of international environmental governance.
Alwasil highlighted the significance of preserving the independence of specialized multilateral environmental agreements. He expressed reservations about expanding coordination mandates or establishing new institutional structures. He also stressed the need to consider national circumstances in implementing environmental commitments and expressed reservations about expanding the use of artificial intelligence tools at this stage.
He reiterated that priority should be given to implementing existing commitments and supporting member states while preserving the authority of member states to make decisions related to environmental agreements and their means of implementation.