JOHOR BARU: Johor Menteri Besar has appealed for the Asia Pacific Climate Week 2023 (APCW) participants to work together towards a ceasefire in Gaza, and put an end to deaths and suffering of countless innocent victims.
Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi in his speech, stressed that the tragedy and massacre that befell victims in Gaza, Palestine, is a stain to humanity.
"I would like to appeal to this rational-minded international audience to take the side of love, compassion, and justice.
"The world must work towards a ceasefire in Gaza," he said while speaking at the APCW 2023 opening at the Johor International Convention Centre (Persada) here today.
Onn Hafiz said efforts to fight climate change should also be used to solve the Palestinian tragedy.
He said the world needs the same energy, passion, and commitment to solve this humanitarian crisis.
"Just like climate change, this is also an existential problem for our generation.
"We must act in the name of humanity. We must take action for our fellow human beings. We must take action for our future generations," he said.
Touching on APCW 2023, Onn Hafiz informed that climate change is a matter very close to him.
He said within a year of being Menteri Besar, the state faced the worst flood disaster in March this year with 20,000 families affected, 80,000 individuals homeless and billions in property and infrastructure losses.
"This bad flood happened within a month where rivers and dams rose to alarming levels.
"Therefore, this APCW 2023 is not just an event, but has a challenge of great importance in the global context.
"APCW plays an important role in driving climate change discussions, policies, and actions around the world. "It serves as a catalyst for positive global change and Johor intends to learn from it," he said. The event, which was held for the first time in Johor, was attended by more than 2,000 delegates representing about 100 countries.