[Check against delivery]

Good afternoon colleagues, it is a pleasure to be here with you all.

UNOPS as you know is focused on operations- we implement projects on behalf of our partners - including sister agencies within the UN system.

Our work only happens in partnerships - and so the impact of our climate action is also only possible through collaborative efforts.

Let me illustrate the extent of that interdependence - and in doing so shed some light on some possible challenges and opportunities- in collaboration.

Recently, we at UNOPS renewed our commitment to climate action - in our operations - and through the projects we implement on behalf of our partners.

As a project-based organization with operations across infrastructure, procurement and project management, we are committed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development through our projects. We are determined to support countries in their efforts to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Part of our pledge focuses on our own corporate emissions. This means - in alignment with the Paris Agreement - that we will reduce our corporate emissions, including those from corporate procurement, by 45% by 2030, and to reach net zero before 2050.

But we want to go beyond this - we want to account for the so-called Scope 3 emissions - that we are indirectly responsible through our value chains. And this involves both indirect emissions from our corporate operations and those that result from the projects we implement on behalf of partners.

And here is where our work is deeply intertwined with that of our partners. We commit - by 2030 - to demonstrate potential carbon savings for our partners on their infrastructure and procurement projects across the lifecycle, but ultimately, as implementers, we rely on our partners to make the final decisions.

And therein lies the importance of a joint commitment to climate action.

We are committed to initiating and progressively expanding our accounting of our Scope 3 emissions. But we are at the beginning of this journey - and our success depends on working together with our partners - to drive meaningful improvements.

Similarly, we need to collaborate - within the UN family but also importantly with partners across the board - to drive the dramatic acceleration needed for the energy transition.

That involves learning from each other, building on best practice - and being united in a commitment to drive quantifiable emissions reductions.