Archives
19th Session of the UN FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Delegates acknowledged the Commission’s role continues to grow beyond animal, plant, forest and aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture (GRFA), and is tackling “new” issues, including the role of GRFA in mitigating and adapting to climate change, and microorganism and invertebrate genetic resources, including pollinator and biological control agents.
10th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the ITPGRFA Multilateral System
Delegates discussed the way forward on enhancing the Treaty’s Multilateral System, with a focus on the key issues at the heart of debates: digital sequence information/genetic sequence data; expansion of the list of crops in Annex I of the Treaty; and the payment structure and rates for benefit-sharing.
What Happens After the VLR?
City leaders at different stages of producing Voluntary Local Reviews—reports that measure local progress and challenges in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals—compared notes on lessons learned and how to maintain momentum after a VLR.
Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 and SDG7 Policy Briefs 2023
Released on the eve of the 2023 High-level Political Forum’s in-depth review of SDG7 progress, Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2023 highlights that growth in the number of people with access to energy is not at the rate it needs to be to achieve the SDG target, with only 92% of global population expected to have energy access by 2030.
High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2023)
Participants acknowledged that at the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we are offtrack. They called on everyone to rally in the second half to achieve the Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, overcoming the setbacks caused by climate change, conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and debt.
2nd Part of the 28th Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority
The meeting is expected to clarify possible scenarios given the rapid approach of the deadline triggered by Nauru’s request to apply for approval of a deep-sea mineral exploitation plan.
45th Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
Science has been the cornerstone of the Montreal Protocol’s success since its inception and non-negotiated scientific assessments have informed decision-making that has helped to heal the Earth’s ozone layer. But there are a number of new challenges to the Protocol’s effective implementation, which were the focus of the week’s meeting.
64th Meeting of the GEF Council
Council Members focused on supporting new, key environmental agreements and frameworks, reaching consensus on the establishment of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, including its programming directions, and on preparing the GEF to serve as part of the financial mechanism for the Agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).
Global Conference on the Future of Resource Taxation
Policymakers, experts, and stakeholders will chart a path toward a future where mining—expected to drastically increase in the search for critical minerals for a renewable energy system—drives tangible, sustainable benefits for developing, resource-rich countries.