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Climate Change Policy & Practice
Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in cooperation with the
United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat

Friday, 22 August 2008 - Issue No. 4
Latest News - Friday, 22 August 2008
SPECIAL FOCUS ON BIOFUELS AND FORESTS
FAO Calls for Information on Underutilized Bioenergy Crops
August 2008: The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB), a platform and partnership of public, private and civil society institutions hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the FAO Inter-Departmental Working Group on Bioenergy, has called for expanded, up-to-date information on genetic resources and breeding of selected underutilized species, together with detailed analysis of their potential as bioenergy crops adaptable to sustainable smallholder production systems. More information.
FAO/UNECE Workshop to Discuss Harvested Wood Products and Climate Change
August 2008: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have announced a workshop on Harvested Wood Products in the Context of Climate Change, to be held from 9-10 September 2008, in Geneva, Switzerland. More information.
MCPFE Delegates to Discuss Draft European Guidelines for Afforestation and Reforestation
August 2008: The revised draft of the Pan-European Guidelines for Afforestation and Reforestation in the context of the UNFCCC will be considered by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)/Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) drafting meeting, which will convene from 16-17 September 2008, in Malahide, Ireland. More information.
UNFF Secretariat Calls for Information for Secretary-General’s Reports on Forests and Climate Change
August 2008: The Secretariat of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) has called for the submission of national information on the implementation of the Non-Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests (NLBI) and progress towards the achievement of the four Global Objectives on Forests. More information.
Sustainability Standards for Biofuels Endorsed
13 August 2008: A UN-backed expert group, the Steering Board on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), has endorsed a draft sustainability standard that would evaluate the economic, social and environmental effects of biofuels over their entire life-cycle. More information.
CBD Invites Submissions on Experiences with Tools Relevant to the Sustainable Production and Use of Biofuels
6 August 2008: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has invited submissions regarding experiences in the development and application of tools relevant to the sustainable production and use of biofuels, as well as relevant information from research on, and monitoring of, the positive and negative impacts of the production and use of biofuels on biodiversity and related socioeconomic aspects, including those related to indigenous and local communities. More information.
CIFOR: Registration Opens for Forest Day 2
August 2008: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has announced that registration is open for participation in Forest Day 2, which is to be held on 6 December 2008 during the fourteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Poznan, Poland. More information.
Guest Article
With the global house on fire, there is no time to lose at the UN Climate Change Talks in Accra
By Yvo de Boer, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary
Yvo de Boer
International negotiators are presently preparing for the United Nations Climate Change Talks in Accra, Ghana, which will run from 21 to 27 August. The meeting is the third major UNFCCC gathering this year and is expected to draw over a thousand participants including government representatives, participants from business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions. ... article continues.
By Richard Sherman and Peter Doran, IISDRS
As climate negotiators meet in Accra, Ghana, for the next session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (AWG-KP) to consider Annex I parties’ commitments beyond the Protocol’s first commitment period ending in 2012, we focus, in this edition, on the outcomes and views expressed by recent intergovernmental meetings. In Accra, the AWG-KP is supposed to conclude its analysis, therefore allowing parties to begin negotiating actual emission reduction ranges in Poznan in December. Over the last three months, the outcomes of intergovernmental meetings have highlighted many of the pre-negotiation views of industrialized and developing country groupings alike. ... article continues.
UN to Assist in Establishment of Inter-Agency Climate Change Centre for Pacific Countries
UN Secretary-General Stresses the Consequences of Climate Change on Youth
FAO Highlights Indigenous Peoples’ Role in Climate Change Adaptation
IAEA Deputy Director General Stresses the Potential Role of Induced Mutations in Plants in Curbing Climate Change Effects
ICAO Journal Outlines Civil Aviation’s Current and Future Efforts to Reduce Emissions
Preliminary Findings of World Bank Study on Water and Climate Change Released
Toyota Joins UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network
UN and Philippines Sign Joint Programme to Strengthen the Country’s Adaptation Capacity
UNDP Introduces Youth Version of 2007-2008 Human Development Report
UN-HABITAT: Sustainable Communities Course to Examine Risk and Vulnerability Reduction of Cities
UN/ISDR Secretariat and Norway Propose an IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risk of Extreme Events
Young Somalis Should Engage in Tackling Climate Change
CBD Notification on Preparations for the Global Biodiversity Outlook
“New-look” UNFCCC Newsletter Published
On International Youth Day, CBD Executive Secretary Stresses Linkages between Biodiversity and Climate Change
UNCCD Launches Webpage on Land and Climate

Climate Change Policy & Practice is a knowledge management project for international negotiations and related activities on climate change run by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which is fully responsible for the content posted on Climate Change Policy & Practice. Information on United Nations activities is provided in cooperation with the UN system agencies, funds and programmes through the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat. More information.