European Union

Highlights for Wednesday, 10 July 2019 "If women stop, the world stops." As discussions focused on SDG 8, decent work and economic growth, representatives from the Women's Major Group dress in red to remind delegates about the important role women play in the global workforce. Posted by IISD Reporting Services on Wednesday, 10 July 2019 HLPF 2019 continued on Wednesday at UN Headquarters in New York. A thematic review on empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality in the morning included two sessions, on the perspectives of small island developing states (SIDS), and of least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Speakers highlighted innovations, such as a peer review system for voluntary national reviews (VNRs); and challenges, such as high vulnerability and capacity needs, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They emphasized mutually reinforcing synergies between achieving the SDGs and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway; the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) for LLDCs; and the Istanbul Programme of Action for LDCs.In the afternoon, a review of implementation and interrelations among SDGs focused on SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth). Progress on achieving this Goal was reported as being slow, and somewhat mixed: despite an increase in gross domestic product growth globally, the LDCs are falling short of their 7% target; 22% of the young people around the world are not in education, employment, or training; and the increase in labor productivity shows a high variation across regions.Several speakers discussed the impacts of the digital economy, describing it as a "double edged sword" that empowers people but can also have disruptive implications for the future of work. The need to reform educational curricula to ensure that skills match future needs was emphasized, as was the critical need to increase women’s participation in the labor market in general, and in the digital economy in particular.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from HLPF 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Thematic Review: Perspectives of Small Island Developing States Panel speakers discuss the main findings from the mid-term review of the SAMOA Pathway (L-R): Yvonne Hyde, CEO, Ministry of Economic Development and Petroleum, Belize; Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat; Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market, and Data Protection, Ireland; Mona Juul, Vice-President, ECOSOC; Lesley Brough, ECOSOC Affairs Branch; Moderator Emele Duituturaga, former Executive Director, Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO); Rakesh Bhuckory, Minister Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade, Mauritius; and Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General, Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market, and Data Protection, Ireland Rakesh Bhuckory, Minister Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and International Trade, Mauritius Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Samoa Stacy Richards-Kennedy, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago Yvonne Hyde, CEO, Ministry of Economic Development and Petroleum, Belize Lois Young, Belize, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Willy Missack, Pacific Climate Change Collaboration, Influencing, and Learning (PACCCIL) Thematic Review: Perspectives of Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries Panel speakers discuss the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for LDCs (L-R): Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, UN High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS; Saad Alfarargi, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development; Jerry Tardieu, Congressman, Haiti; Mona Juul, Vice-President, ECOSOC; Ziad Mahmassani, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM); Moderator Hope Muli, Hivos, Kenya; Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, Executive Director, Oxfam Mexico. Saad Alfarargi, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development Richard Ssewakiryanga, Co-Chair, Civil Society Organization (CSO) Partnership for Development Effectiveness Doma Tshering, Permanent Representative of Bhutan to the UN, and Co-Facilitator of the Political Declaration of the Midterm Review of the Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) for LLDCs Moderator Hope Muli, Hivos, Kenya Jerry Tardieu, Congressman, Haiti Perks Ligoya, Malawi Khomraj Koirala, Nepal Chika Mercedes Ibeh, Women's Major Group; Vladislav Kaim, Major Group for Children and Youth; and Enma Catu Raxjal, Indigenous Peoples Discussion on SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth Panel speakers during the session (L-R): Peter Robinson, President, US Council for International Business (USCIB); Darja Isaksson, Director-General, Vinnova, Sweden; Mamadou Diallo, Deputy Secretary-General, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); Valentin Rybakov, Vice-President, ECOSOC; Emer Herity, UN DESA; Moderator Moussa Oumarou, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, International Labour Organization (ILO); and Fu Xiaolan, Professor and Founding Director, Technology and Management Centre for Development, Oxford University. Faryal Ahmed, Statistics Division, DESA Fu Xiaolan, Oxford University Using the interactive platform Sli.do, delegates highlight what they consider to be the most important challenges and opportunities facing employment in the years leading up to 2030. Mamadou Diallo, Deputy Secretary-General, ITUC Darja Isaksson, Director General, Vinnova, Sweden Lead Discussants Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE); and Matthias Thorns, Deputy Secretary-General, International Organization of Employers (IOE) Anne-Beth Skrede, Norway Rodrigo Carazo, Costa Rica Around the Venue Delegates share a moment at the start of a session. Delegates from Morocco Delegates from Italy Delegates from the Dominican Republic Delegates from Kuwait Delegates speak informally between sessions. Visitors to the UN watch the proceedings of HLPF from the observation window. Celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the ILO, an exhibition around UN Headquarters highlights the importance of ensuring social justice and decent work. In the SDG Media Hub, Red, the Angriest Bird, commits himself to climate action, to the delight of visitors to the UN.

Highlights for Friday, 5 July 2019 OEWG 41 Co-Chairs Laura-Juliana Arciniegas, Colombia, and Alain Wilmart, Belgium, congratulate each other on a successful OEWG. OEWG 41 convened for its final day on Friday, 5 July 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.Delegates met in the morning for contact and informal groups on the terms of reference (ToR) for Multilateral Fund (MLF) 2021-2023 Replenishment study; unexpected emissions of CFC-11; ongoing reported emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CTC); stocks of methyl bromide; and the ToR for the composition of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP).All of the groups concluded their discussions, with deliberations set to resume at the 31st Meeting of the Parties (MOP 31) to be held in Rome, Italy in November 2019. Highlights of the contact and informal group discussions include: how to improve licensing systems to achieve compliance; reporting systems under the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol not replacing national-level obligations; the need for the TEAP to take preparations for hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down plans into account as part of the MLF Replenishment Study ToR; and how to define stocks in response to a proposed draft decision inviting parties to submit information, voluntarily, on methyl bromide stocks. Two side events were held: ‘Cooling without warming the planet: Opportunities to converge business and sustainability goals’ presented by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), and ‘A roadmap for sustainable cooling-what will it take?’ presented by the World Bank. Closing plenary resumed in the late afternoon. The Co-Chairs thanked delegates for their participation during the OEWG, saying a better understanding had been reached on items that are crucial to the progress for the Protocol. The meeting closed at 5:54 pm.As the meeting closed and delegates left the conference centre, there was a sense of completion and satisfaction as delegates had reached a point in deliberations where they felt comfortable forwarding issues to MOP 31. Saying goodbye, one delegate remarked that the big issues weren’t insurmountable at OEWG 41 as parties generally found a way forward, expressing hope that this would continue at MOP 31. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage from OEWG 41. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Contact Group on CFC-11 issues Philip Owen, EU Martin Sirois, Canada Contact Group on CTC Co-facilitators Patrick McInerney, Australia, and Leslie Smith, Grenada Henry Wohrnschimmel, Switzerland Informal Group on Stocks of Methyl Bromide View of the room during the informal group Cornelius Rhein (right), EU, consulting with Niccolò Costantini, EU; Ole-Kristian Kvissel, Norway; and Henry Wohrnschimmel, Switzerland Informal Group on the Review of the TEAP ToR Participants during the informal group The dais during the informal group Plenary OEWG 41 Co-Chair Alain Wilmart, Belgium Agnieszka Tomaszewska and Janusz Kozakiewicz, Poland Özge Tümöz Gündüz and Ülkü Fusün Ertürk, Turkey; and Youssef Hammami, Tunisia Yawo Dandjesso, Togo Mario Francisco Correia Ximenes, Timor-Leste Philippe Chemouny, Canada, speaking with Helen Walter-Terrinoni and Helen Tope, TEAP Co-Chairs Osvaldo Patricio Álvarez Pérez, Chile, gives a warm hug to Ozone Secretariat Executive Secretary Tina Birmpili View of the dais during the afternoon plenary Gene Smilansky, US OEWG 41 Co-Chair Laura-Juliana Arciniegas, Colombia, giving closing remarks John Thompson, US, speaking informally with Ozone Secretariat Executive Secretary Tina Birmpili after the closing plenary OEWG 41 Co-Chairs Laura-Juliana Arciniegas, Colombia, and Alain Wilmart, Belgium, with members of the Ozone Secretariat Around the Venue Ozone Secretariat posing for a family photo Suely Machado Carvalho, Marco González, Bella Maranion, TEAP; and Cecilia Mercado, Multilateral Fund Secretariat

Highlights for Thursday, 4 July 2019 Paul Newman, Co-Chair of SAP, analyzing some text with Bella Maranion and Helen Tope, Co-Chairs of TEAP OEWG 41 convened for its penultimate day on Thursday, 4 July 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.Plenary addressed the remaining agenda items, as well as outstanding issues. The remaining agenda items deliberated include the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at risk of non-compliance with the Montreal Protocol as a result of UN Security Council sanctions, and the role the Montreal Protocol can play in the sustainability of the cold chain with a view to reducing food losses.Outstanding agenda items were discussed in contact groups and informal consultations before reporting to plenary. Highlights include: an informal group discussed the Government of Italy's proposal to have a roundtable during the High Level Segment of MOP 31 regarding the Protocol’s role in the sustainability of the cold chain; an informal group on the TEAP terms of reference (ToR) discussed current procedures for TEAP nominations and the matrix of expertise; the contact group on CFC-11 issues emphasized addressing institutional structure and Montreal Protocol requirements to more effectively monitor potential illegal trade of controlled substances such as CFC-11; and an informal group on the ToR for the 2022 Quadrennial Assessment, with discussion on assessing emissions trends, human health, and biodiversity and ecosystem health. Three side events were held during day: ‘Energy efficiency in Servicing – past impacts of HPMP training and future potential’ organized by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), ‘Energy efficiency and refrigerant containment in supermarkets in Argentina’ organized by the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and ‘Actions and Opportunities in Efficient Cooling’ organized by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and its partners.As the rains came down in Bangkok, delegates toiled hard. All the agenda items for discussions had been introduced, so it remained for delegates to reach consensus on issues for consideration at the upcoming MOP. Many were concerned that despite the heavy schedule, not enough progress is being made to pave the way for a smooth MOP; others, however, seemed nonplussed, saying that at the end of the day, the crucial discussions are always deferred to the MOP. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage from OEWG 41. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page The dais during the morning session Yong Hui Phyon, DPRK Ralph Brieskorn, the Netherlands Jessica Escaip, New Zealand Tom Land, US, speaking informally with Lamia Benabbas, UNIDO Samuel Pare and Adama Sawadogo, Burkina Faso Epimeny Nibizi, Burundi Cindy Newberg and Nancy Akerman, US, in discussion with Stephen Montzka, SAP Delegates from Italy having a discussion during the plenary TEAP Co-Chair, Ian Porter, consutling with delegates from China Shang Baoxi, China Reine Marie Coly Badiane, Senegal  John Thompson, US, sharing a laugh with Kate Helfenstein-Louw, IISD/ENB Paul Newman, Co-Chair SAP, discussing a document with Bella Maranion and Helen Tope, Co-Chairs TEAP Tom Land, US Lara Haidar, Lebanon Contact Groups Parties convening for the contact group on the ToR for the study on the Multilateral Fund (MLF) replenishment Informal consultations on the Rome Declaration for MOP 31 The Contact Group on CFC-11 issues The informal group on the review of the TEAP ToR The informal group on MLF Executive Committee membership The informal group on the ToR for the 2022 Quadrennial Assessment Around the Venue Philip Owen, EU, and the Italian delegation OEWG 41 Co-Chair Laura-Juliana Arciniegas, and the Colombian delegation Paul Krajnik, Austria, and the Finnish delegation Delegates from the Middle East in conversation

Highlights for Wednesday, 3 July 2019 Omar Ghazi Al-Attas, Maryam Al-Dabbagh, Saudi Arabia; Hasan Mubarak, Bahrain; and Yaqoub Al-Matouq, Kuwait, having a discussion with Amit Love, India OEWG 41 convened for its third day on Wednesday, 3 July 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.Delegates met throughout the day in plenary addressing: Article 5 parties’ access to energy efficient technology; linkages between HCFCs and HFCs in transitioning to low-GWP alternatives; safety standards; review of the terms of reference (ToR), composition, balance, fields of expertise and workload of the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP); membership of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) Executive Committee (ExCom); and the request by Azerbaijan to be included among the parties to which the phase-down schedule for HFCs, as set out in paragraphs 2 and 4 of Article 2J of the Montreal Protocol, applies. Contact groups on ToR for the study on the MLF replenishment 2021-2023, unexpected emissions of CFC-11 and an informal consultation on lab and analytical uses met during the course of the day.Highlights of the discussions include: adopting common standards between similar markets would enable manufacturers to capitalize on scale and accelerate technology readiness; how countries are setting and enforcing minimum energy performance standards; the suggestion of a review mechanism on the composition of the TEAP; and presentation of the development of an online tool for safety standards. Three side events were held during day: ‘​Green Cooling in South-East Asia - selected case studies from Indonesia and Thailand’ organized by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), ‘​Enforcement of HCFC Licensing Systems’ organized by OzonAction, and ‘Japan’s F-gas policy and current status of measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to enhance energy efficiency products in RACHP sector’ organized by The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association.At the end of the day’s deliberations, some delegates were heard commenting that parts of the afternoon’s debate felt a bit like “going down memory lane.” Recalling the heated debates leading up to the Kigali Amendment’s adoption, she remarked that the eristic discussions triggered by the review of the TEAP’s ToR, composition, balance, fields of expertise and workload, the MLF ExCom membership were somewhat unexpected. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, is providing daily web coverage from OEWG 41. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Environmental Effects Assessment Panel Co-Chairs Nigel Paul and Janet Bornman consulting with Cindy Newberg and John Thompson, US, before the morning session OEWG 41 Co-Chairs Laura-Juliana Arciniegas, Colombia, and Alain Wilmart, Belgium, consulting with Ozone Secretariat Raad Kadhim Hasan Jeryo, Iraq Ernesto Daniel Plasencia Escalante, Cuba Helène Rochat and Bassam Elassaad, TEAP Gabrielle Dreyfus, TEAP Delegates from the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in quiet discussion TEAP members confer before addressing parties' questions Maryam Al-Dabbagh, Saudi Arabia Jacques Monlolamon Glai, Côte d’ivoire Philip Owen, EU, and Philippe Chemouny, Canada Andrew Clark, US Jacques Salomon, Haiti Ashley Woodcock, Co-Chair, TEAP Task Force on Energy Efficiency Delegates listening to a presentation by Omar Abdelaziz, TEAP Task Force on Energy Efficiency Yaqoub Al-Matouq, Kuwait Amit Love, India Omar Ghazi Al-Attas, Saudi Arabia Cornelius Rhein, EU Osvaldo Patricio Álvarez Pérez, Chile Liana Ghahramanyan, Armenia Jamila Mammadova, Azerbaijan Patrick McInerney, Australia Contact Groups The Contact Group on the ToR for the study on the MLF replenishment The Contact Group on CFC-11 issues Around the Venue