UN General Assembly
2010

aware of our collective vulnerability to natural disasters and their underlying causes, such as environmental degradation and climate change. In this respect, as highlighted by the participants at the 20 September high-level meeting on the International Year of Biodiversity, the protection of the environment should be everyone’s priority. It is necessary to follow up on the voluntary commitments made in the Copenhagen Declaration, in particular with respect to financing adaptation and mitigation measures. With respect to United Nations reform, it is encouraging to note the significant progress made in the empowerment of women, governance and financing activities to operationalize development. Let us not forget that, on 30 June, the General Assembly established the composite Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, which, as of 1 January 2011, will be responsible for addressing gender issues in place of the four institutions that have hitherto worked to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. This is an important act which we dare to hope will lead Member States to advance in other sectors of United Nations reform, in