Good afternoon everyone.

Let me start by echoing the sentiments of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, where he spoke about the fact that the Petersberg Dialogue is a testament to Chancellor Merkel’s legacy.

From presiding over the first COP to creating the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, which, I think we can all appreciate, has become one of the most established moments in the international climate calendar.

The Chancellor’s personal contribution to tackling the climate crisis should be recognised.

Which now brings me to this year’s Petersberg Dialogue.

Petersberg XII. This was the biggest so far.

And indeed, even before the main ministerial meeting began we have had an impressive series of 8 satellite events.

I want to thank my dear friend Minister Schulze and for her personal leadership and for us working so closely together on this agenda.

As Svenja said, we have had ministers speaking and, of course, they said the right things, which is encouraging.

Even virtually, I could see and I could hear that there is a strong political will to take action on the climate crisis and its crippling effects which face all of us across the world.

We all know that this decade is absolutely key and that is why we have already spelt out our pathway to Glasgow to COP26 in November.

Our key aim is to keep the chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees alive.

We want to adapt to the impacts of the changing climate

And to ensure the money, finance, is available to deliver on these aims.

The UK is working with every nation to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change.

I personally have met, virtually, physically with 115 Ministers around the world since my appointment.

And we all know that more than 190 countries, world leaders and their delegations will arrive in Glasgow in Scotland in November.

And this will be the largest international political gathering that the United Kingdom has ever hosted.

And it’s only six months to go.

And so I want to talk to you briefly through our around the four goals we want to achieve on the road and at COP26.

First, we need to secure global net zero by mid-century so that we can keep the 1.5 degrees within reach.

Countries are being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century.

And I’m urging all countries – especially the major emitters – to come forward with ambitious emissions reduction commitments.

We are also working to accelerate the end of coal use, to accelerate the take up of zero emission vehicles, to curb deforestation, and encourage investment in renewables.

Secondly, we want to see moves to adapt to protect communities and natural habitats.

The climate is already changing and it will continue to change even as we reduce emissions, and this is likely to have some devastating effects.

On the road to COP26 we need to work together to enable and encourage countries, and communities and businesses affected by climate change to build those defences, to put in place the warning systems and the resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid the loss of life and livelihoods.

Third, we must have enough finance. This is absolutely vital. I cannot emphasise this point enough.

To deliver on our first two goals, developed countries must make good on their promise to provide $100bn in climate finance per year.

Both Governments and international financial institutions must play their part – and we must keep the promises that have been made and deliver on that.

But we also need to work towards unleashing the trillions of dollars in private finance required to secure global net zero.

And fourth, we must work together to deliver on these goals.

We can only rise to the challenges of the climate crisis by working together.

And frankly, friends, we must apply the same urgency to fighting climate change which we have applied to fighting the coronavirus.

At COP26 we must complete the Paris Rulebook, and accelerate action to tackle the climate change crisis, through collaboration between governments, with businesses and, incredibly importantly, civil society as well.

We have made some tangible progress together over the past two days, but I am urging all parties, all countries to maintain that momentum and collectively step up our efforts to find solutions.

We know what needs to be done.

But we also know that time is not on our side.

To help us reach agreement, I will be tasking ministers to take forward certain issues in the negotiations ahead of Glasgow.

I want to thank Minister Fu and Minister Koizumi for taking on the task of consulting with parties on Article 6.

I will be announcing other pairings on key topics in the coming weeks.

I also intend to convene a representative group of ministers again in-person in July to make further progress on these key issues that require a political resolution.

Under the UK’s presidency this year, G7 members have had important conversations on climate change.

And it is really great to see that all G7 members have now committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, reinforced by strong near-term 2030 targets.

And I very much welcome Germany’s proposal to achieve net zero by 2045, achieving 65% emissions cuts by 2030 and 88% by 2040 respectively.

The UK has already pledged to slash emissions by 78% by 2035 and, very importantly, enshrined this in law.

As Prime Minister Johnson made clear yesterday, we must arrive in Glasgow having done our homework.

It is absolutely clear that finance is going to be crucial and I am calling on all G7 leaders to go further ahead of the Leaders’ Summit this June.

Donor countries must consider what it is like to walk in the feet of communities in developing countries, who are on the front line of climate change.

I’ve visited some of these communities. Their homes, livelihoods, their very lives are at risk.

And we have to remember that these communities and countries have contributed least to climate change.

So overall, in conclusion, we need to create the conditions so that the world is ready to reach agreement on an ambitious, on a comprehensive, and balanced set of outcomes that deliver a cleaner, greener world for our people and our planet.

And we must ensure that no one and no issue is left behind in Glasgow.

And so, Ministers and friends, we have reached the end of this year’s Petersberg Climate Dialogue.

And I want to thank everyone for their very active participation over the last two years. And we’ve had some frank discussions, which I think have been so important.

Of course we haven’t fixed some of these outstanding issues but we have made progress.

We’ve had a rich exchange of views in terms of what we need to do ahead of COP26.

And I think we have actually Improved our collective understanding of what is important to individual parties as well.

Like Patricia, I do leave this meeting, this dialogue, feeling convinced that there is a political will to compromise and that, ultimately, there is a desire to reach a balanced negotiated outcome in Glasgow.

We know that this outcome has to match the scale and urgency of the climate crisis. And, again, it has to unlock the enormous opportunities that are presented by the move to a net zero, resilient future. Green growth, jobs, but at the same time cleaning up our environment.

We have to maintain the momentum.

So, I have said I intend to convene ministers in-person in July, to shape the Glasgow outcome, and to make further progress on some of these key issues that require a political resolution. The point of that gathering is to focus on tangible solutions.

And of course, this will follow on from the virtual meeting of the G7 Climate and Environmental Ministers which is going to be held as part of our G7 Presidency.

As well as the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June, where I hope our shared commitment to tackling the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss and building back greener across the world will build even more momentum for ambition on the road to Glasgow.

I think there was a clear consensus yesterday that we need to make more engagement, have a sustained process on Article 6 – and that’s going to be required over the next 6 months.

I am happy to announce that I have requested, and they have agreed, for Minister Koizumi of Japan, and Minister Fu of Singapore, to lead a series of informal discussions on Article 6 with interested parties. And then to report back to me ahead of the July physical meeting of ministers.

But there are a range of matters that we’ve heard about over the past two days on loss & damage, finance, common time frames, transparency – they all require political attention as well.

And I think the good thing is that there is a willingness amongst all of us to discuss these further, and we should do that once our negotiators have made progress on developing solutions.

So, I will be taking an equivalent approach to that which we are taking on Article 6, once the July meeting has concluded.

So let’s get our negotiators working on that, particularly at the Subsidiary Bodies meeting in June.

And I’d really urge all of you to instruct your negotiators to engage actively and constructively at the June meeting to make as much progress as possible. You as ministers have to please give them the mandate to be flexible in their pursuit of their solutions. It’s only through compromise that we are going to make progress and some of these issues have been outstanding for several years.

We have to arrive in Glasgow having done our homework. We cannot arrive at Glasgow not having completed that if we want to actually reach an agreement.

I do sense there is a will there. We know that the cause is urgent and really importantly, we have to understand that the public in our countries, society in all our countries, is absolutely hungry for us collectively to reach solutions here.

In conclusion, I would ask us to maintain momentum, empower our negotiators, so we can reach an outcome in Glasgow that delivers for people and planet.

Thank you again for the last two days. We will continue to discuss and talk in the next 6 months, which are going to be critical.

• Flight carrying three surplus 18-tonne oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators left Belfast this morning in support of India’s fight against Covid-19
• World’s largest cargo plane loaded through the night with life-saving oxygen equipment from UK
• Each oxygen generator produces 500 litres of oxygen per minute and is the size of a 40ft shipping container

The world’s largest cargo plane left Belfast today, carrying three 18-tonne oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators as part of the UK’s latest response to India’s Covid-19 crisis.

Airport staff worked through the night to load the life-saving kit, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), aboard the massive Antonov 124 aircraft.

Each of the three oxygen generation units – the size of 40ft freight containers – produces 500 litres of oxygen per minute, enough for 50 people to use at a time. They are expected to reach India on Sunday morning, where the Indian Red Cross will help transfer them to hospitals.

This support, previously announced, is in addition to 200 ventilators and 495 oxygen concentrators, which the UK sent to India in late April.

It comes following discussions with India and a pledge from Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the UK to do all it can to help. The latest assistance package has been sourced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and is fully funded by the FCDO.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

The UK is sending surplus oxygen generators from Northern Ireland to India. This life-saving equipment will support the country’s hospitals as they care for vulnerable Covid patients.

The UK and India are working together to tackle this pandemic. No-one is safe until we are all safe.

Northern Ireland Health Minister, Robin Swann, was at Belfast International Airport to welcome the arrival of the plane last night and to see the three surplus oxygen generators supplied by the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) loaded onto the giant cargo plane. The offering by Northern Ireland’s health service is in addition to 1,000 ventilators offered by DHSC.

He said:

The scenes coming out of India are a vivid reminder of the devastation this virus can cause and it shows no sign of abating.

It is our moral duty to help and support where we can. Oxygen supply is under severe stress in India’s health system and the three oxygen generation units that we are sending today are each capable of producing 500 litres of oxygen per minute.

I sincerely hope this equipment goes some way to easing the pressure and pain the country is currently experiencing.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said:

The situation in India is heart-breaking and we stand side by side with our friends as they face this immense challenge.

As we battle this global pandemic together, the vital equipment we are providing, including ventilators and oxygen generators, will help save lives and support India’s healthcare system.

As one United Kingdom we will continue to do all we can to help the Indian health authorities turn the tide on this dreadful virus.