The meeting was attended by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa, and the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Climate Action Selwin Hart.
The meeting, which takes place ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, scheduled for December 12, was also marked by the participation of ambassadors from several countries and representative groups from different regions.
Speaking on this occasion, Hilale stressed that despite the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis is still considered by scientists as the greatest threat to humanity.
On the one hand, as the world grapples with COVID-19, it is increasingly recognized that we must embark on a path of sustainable recovery, and on the other hand, climate action is not just about recovery but a global reality that will determine the future of humanity in the longer term, the ambassador noted.
For Hilale, climate action is about "our collective ability to move from a unsustainable growth model to a positive paradigm, where climate change creates new opportunities for all, for developing and developed countries, for citizens from different backgrounds".
"Unless ambitious measures are taken, the unfolding climate crisis poses an imminent existential threat to the world and in particular to the most vulnerable," Hilale warned.
For his part, the French Ambassador to the UN noted that the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, which will coincide with the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, will bring together government leaders, businesses and civil society and will be "a major step towards a historic COP26 in Glasgow next year".