European Union

Highlights for Monday, 17 June 2019 Delegates gather at the World Conference Center Bonn for the first day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference 2019. For the first time in 14 years, delegates gathered for a smaller session in Bonn with only two bodies convening. The fiftieth meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 50) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 50) launched their work on all agenda items.Outlining expectations for the meeting, many parties pressed to keep the momentum generated in December 2018 when they adopted the Katowice Climate Package, the so-called “rulebook” supporting the Paris Agreement. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), other international organizations, and developing countries continue to draw attention to the impacts of climate change on the environment, people, and livelihoods, several parties urged more ambition in pledges to the Paris Agreement; many developing countries called for greater financial resources. Chile, the host of the next Conference of the Parties (COP), declared ambition a central theme of the upcoming meeting.In the second workshop of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, participants grappled with three questions: how do we measure and evaluate adaptation practices in agriculture? What are the co-benefits of adapting agriculture systems to climate change? and how can we share knowledge and practices to ensure resilience in global food security? The workshop heard from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Adaptation Committee, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Expert Group, and the World Bank on recent practices in monitoring, evaluation, and adaptation planning; and shared views and best practices on adaptation in the agricultural sector.As delegates finished their first day of work, several were pleased that the SBSTA avoided a delay in adopting its agenda through informal discussions regarding the item on the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C of Global Warming. In December, the COP asked the SBSTA to consider the Special Report “with a view to strengthening the scientific knowledge on the 1.5°C goal.” Parties agreed to hold this discussion without pre-judging any potential outcome. Some delegates warned that sensitivity around this issue would continue throughout the conference. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019, 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 SBI Opening Plenary SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini, opens the SBI plenary. Chizuru Aoki, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Birgit Aru, Estonia, reporting back on Katowice Committee of Experts on Impacts of Implementation of Response Measures (KCI) Hana Hamadalla, Sudan, reporting back on the LDC Expert Group (LEG) Gervais Ludovic Itsoua, Congo, reporting back on the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) Nicole Wilke, Germany, reporting back on the host agreement Delegates during the session. SBSTA Opening Plenary SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France (center), convenes the opening of the SBSTA plenary with an up-to-date version of the Keeling Curve, a graph of the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Jörg Schulz, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie Abdalah Mokssit, IPCC Secretary Salvatore Aricò, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture View of the dais during the workshop on methods and approaches for assessing adaptation, adaptation co-benefits, and resilience. Milagros Sandoval, Peru, Co-Facilitator of the Koronivia Workshop Zitouni Ould-Dada, FAO Navina Sanchez, Adaptation Committee Martien van Nieuwkoop, World Bank SBI/SBSTA Joint Plenary - Opening Statements View of the dais during the joint plenary for opening statements. Ammar Hijazi, Palestine, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Rodrigo Olsen Olivares, incoming COP Presidency, Chile Majid Shafiepour, Iran, speaking on behalf of the Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) Lois Young, Belize, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Ana Villalobos, Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Mona Al-Attas, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group Sonam Wangdi, Bhutan, speaking on behalf of the LDCs Ion Cîmpeanu, EU Around the Venue Delegates gather informally before the start of plenary. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa speaks with Stéphane Dion, Canadian Ambassador to the EU Richard Kinley, former UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Sin Liang Cheah, Singapore, speaks with a delegate. Delegates from Ghana review a document. Members of the SBI Secretariat share a moment. Delegates speak informally between sessions. A delegate visits 'Awakening,' a photographic exhibition that confronts the urgency of sustaining life on earth by focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and challenging all people to 'design a world that works for everyone.' Delegates meet informally in the exhibit area. Materials on display.

Highlights for Thursday, 13 June 2019 L-R: William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat; Co-Chair Carola Van Rijnsoever, the Netherlands; and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, join participants in a resounding round of applause at the conclusion of the meeting. On the third and final day of the 56th meeting of the GEF Council, the Council convened as the 26th meeting of the Council for the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund (LDCF/SCCF), and approved the Joint Summary of the Chairs for the joint Council meeting.Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, acting as Co-Chair of the LDCF/SCCF Council, shared takeaway messages from a recent meeting of the Global Commission on Adaptation. She highlighted the upcoming UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit and the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as opportunities to accelerate action on the ground. She also thanked Ireland for its EUR 2 million contribution to the LDCF.In a keynote address, Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, CEO, Europa Re Ltd., outlined her Swiss-based catastrophe risk reinsurance company’s efforts to provide climate risk insurance coverage in southeastern Europe, saying its experience can be replicated in other regions.GEF Council Members, convening as the 26th meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council, adopted a joint LDCF/SCCF work program comprising 12 projects, with resources amounting to USD 103.41 million for the LDCF and SCCF, including project grants and Agency fees. They also welcomed the Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Monitoring Review of the Funds and its finding that 87% and 94% of LDCF and SCCF projects under implementation in FY18, respectively, were rated “moderately satisfactory” or above for their progress towards development objectives.Following approval of the Joint Summary of the Chairs for both the GEF Council and the LDCF/SCCF Council meetings, GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii closed the meeting at 12:02 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, video coverage, and a summary report from the GEF Council Consultation Meeting with CSOs, 56th GEF Council Meeting, and 26th Meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. The Council convenes as the 26th meeting of the LDCF/SCCF Council. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, CEO, Europe Re Ltd, presents on climate risk insurance efforts in southeastern Europe. Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland Stephanie Bouziges-Eschmann, Alternate Council Member, France Sydah Naigaga, Regional Focal Point, Eastern Africa, GEF-CSO Network Marjolein Geusebroek, Advisor, the Netherlands Participants hear a presentation on the LDCF Work Program. Gustavo Fonseca and Chizuru Aoki, GEF Secretariat, respond to comments from the floor on the Annual Monitoring Review of the LDCF and SCCF. Juho Uitto and Anna Viggh, IEO, discuss the LDCF/SCCF Annual Evaluation Report. Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium Kordula Mehlhart, Council Member, Germany Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia Ludovica Soderini, Advisor, Italy GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii closes the meeting at 12:02 pm. Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat, says goodbye to Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium. L-R: Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo, consults with Jean-Marc Sinnassamy, GEF Secretariat. L-R: Rachna Ramsurn, Council Member, Mauritius, and Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India, share a moment. L-R: William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat; Praveen Prasad Desabatla, World Bank; and Peter Lallas, GEF Secretariat, consult on the Chairs' Joint Summary of the meetings.