Participants of the P4G Seoul Summit all agreed on Sunday that international solidarity is urgent to respond to climate change. 

On the first day of the summit held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, video messages were shown of 34 state leaders and senior officials as well as heads of 20 international organizations. 

The participants said the world must overcome the pandemic through sustainable, inclusive green recovery and to that end developing countries need support from advanced countries. 

In his video message for the summit, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum stressed that now is the time to take action against climate change, saying such efforts cannot be exerted by one nation or government alone and they require the entire globe’s cooperation. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his country will provide support for the transition toward a green economy, emphasizing that international cooperation is key to secure financial resources to tackle climate change. 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he hopes every country will unveil substantial plans to address climate change like South Korea’s declaration to end all new financing for overseas coal projects. 

Also on Sunday, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron underlined in their messages the need to exert active efforts to address climate change.