Overview
- The UN high-level meeting at UN Headquarters adopted the declaration on Sept. 24, calling on governments and international bodies to strengthen coordinated, science-based responses to accelerating sea-level rise.
- Secretary-General António Guterres warned that recent measurements show rising speed — with 2024 near a record ~6 mm of annual rise — and said sea level could be about one meter higher by 2100, raising risks of large-scale displacement and freshwater salinization.
- For the first time in a UN political text, the declaration affirms that states whose territory is submerged can continue to exist, a provision cited with reference to small island states such as Tuvalu and their plans to move some state functions abroad or online.
- The declaration is a diplomatic, non-binding step that sets political direction but does not create funding or legal mechanisms, so implementation will depend on national plans, international finance, technical support, and new legal arrangements for people and states at risk.
- Scientists and UN data cited at the meeting note observed rise of more than 10 cm since 1993 and an average 4.7 mm per year from 2014–23, while the UN estimates over 1 billion people in island and coastal areas could face disaster risk by 2050, making follow-up action on relocation, defense, and rights urgent.