Least Developed Countries

The Fifth Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) opened in Cancún, Mexico, on Wednesday, 24 May 2017. This followed two preparatory days, during which delegates met in regional meetings and networking sessions. Meeting for the first time since the approval of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in Japan in 2015, delegates convened for a brief plenary session in the morning. They then broke out into special sessions and working sessions, which met in parallel throughout the morning. Two special sessions considered the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. During the four working sessions in the morning, delegates considered: critical infrastructure, international cooperation, risk insurance, and the Sendai Framework Monitor Prototype. In the afternoon, delegates attended an opening ceremony, attended by Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto, who called for enhanced prevention and preparedness measures to address disaster risk. Also in attendance was Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, who underscored that DRR and climate change resilience are integral to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. High-level delegates then convened in a closed-door Leaders Forum. Others convened in two parallel working sessions to consider risk information and disaster loss databases, and private sector engagement in DRR. Side events were also held over the lunch break and in the late afternoon. In the evening, participants attended a reception hosted by the Government of Mexico. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily reports in English and Spanish, daily web coverage, and daily Earth Negotiations Videos (ENV) from the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. In addition, IISD Reporting Services published a summary report of the meeting in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page . Welcome Plenary Session Remberto Estrada Barba, Mayor of the Municipality of Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo, Mexico Luis Felipe Puente, Coordinador General, Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil (SINAPROC), Mexico Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for DRR and Head of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Remberto Estrada Barba, Mayor of the Municipality of Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo, Mexico and Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for DRR and Head of UNISDR, at the end of the session Special Session - Build Back Better & Preparedness (L-R) Johannes Luchner, Director, Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation (ECHO), European Commission (EC); Inonge Wina, Vice President of the Zambia; Session Co-Chair Aris Papadopoulos, Adviser, Titan America; Session Chair Lourdes Tibán, Member of Parliament, Ecuador; Session Chair Shigeki Habuka, Vice Minister, Cabinet Office, Japan; Khaled Abo Aisheh, Director, Programming of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA); and Marcie Roth, Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA/DHS), US Inonge Wina, Vice President of the Zambia Session Co-Chair Aris Papadopoulos, CEO, Titan America Marcie Roth, Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA/DHS), US Session Co-Chair Shigeki Habuka, Japan Session Co-Chair Lourdes Tibán, Ecuador Working Session - Critical Infrastructure (L-R) Rubem Hofliger, Swiss Re; Michele Young, Asia Regional Shelter and Construction Advisor, Save the Children; P.K. Mishra, Prime Minister’s Office; Session Chair Wais Ahmad Barmak, Minister of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs, Afghanistan; Hirotada Matsuki, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan; Hans Sy, President SM Prime; and Inés Gutiérrez, Peru Rubenm Hofliger, Director-General, Natural Disasters Fund, Mexico, and Michele Young, Asia Regional Shelter and Construction Advisor, Save the Children Hans Sy, Executive Director, President SM Prime, and Inés Gutiérrez, Peru Rubenm Hofliger, Director-General, Natural Disasters Fund, Mexico, and Michele Young, Asia Regional Shelter and Construction Advisor at Save the Children Translation for deaf participants Working Session - Sendai Framework Monitor Consultation (L-R) Andria Grosvenor, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA); Kamal Kishore, National Disaster Management Authority, India; Marc Gordon, UNISDR; Session Co-Chair Yannick Glemarec, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme, UN Women; Session Co-Chair Mercedita Sombilla, National Economic and Development Authority, the Philippines; and Martin Owor, Commissioner for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management in the Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda Special Session - Early Warning & Risk Information (L-R) Elliot Jacks, US National Weather Service; Molly Nielson, Principal Disaster Management Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa; Session Chair Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Coordinator of the FemLINKPACIFIC, Fiji; Session Chair David Edgar Tonoyan, Minister of Emergency Situations, Armenia; Session Chair Gautier Mignot, Director, Sustainable Development, Ministry of Interior, France; Petteri Talaas, Secretary-General, WMO; and Tatsuo Hirano, Member of Parliament, Japan Working Session - International Cooperation (L-R) Heidi Schroderus-Fox, Director, UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS); Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Director-General of Global Issues, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany; Session Chair David Douglas Des Van Rooyen, Minister, Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, South Africa; Laura Tuck, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank; Sandra Wu, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Kokusai Kogyo Co. Ltd; and Rolf Alter, Director of Public Governance, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Session - Risk Insurance (L-R) Sophia Belay, Oxfam America; Shaun Tarbuck, CEO, International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation; Phil Evans, COO, Met Office; Session Co-Chair Riikka Laatu, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland; Session Co-Chair Simon Young, African Risk Capacity Insurance Company Limited; Liliana Cardozo de Cano, Tarjy; and Robert Muir-Wood, Risk Management Solutions Opening Ceremony Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico, and Amina Mohamed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, before the opening ceremony Mayan cultural performance at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction The dais during the opening ceremony Carlos Joaquin Gonzales, Governor, Quintana Roo, Mexico Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for DRR and Head of UNISDR Participants watched a video about the history of the DRR process Amina Mohamed, UN Deputy Secretary-General Luis Videgaray Caso, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexico Participants watched a video on DRR activities in Mexico Amina Mohamed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, and Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico Participants during the opening ceremony The media at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Working Session - Private Sector Engagement (L-R) Session Co-Chair Chloe Demrovsky, Executive Director, DRI; Daniel Stander, Risk Management Solutions; Mark Crosweller, Director General, Emergency Management, Australia; Dale Sands, CH2M; and Jesús González Arellano, KPMG, Mexico Working Session - Risk Information & Loss Databases (L-R) Anoja Seneviratne, Director of Mitigation Research and Development, Sri Lanka; Bapon Fakhruddin, Senior Specialist in DRR and Climate Resilience, Bangladesh; Session Co-Chair Fatih Özer, Department Head, Disaster & Emergency Management Authority of Turkey; Session Co-Chair Ricardo Peña-Herrero, Undersecretary of Risk Analysis, Ecuador; and Jutta May, Information and Knowledge Management Specialist, Noumea, New Caledonia Around the Venue Red Cross youth members dance at a parallel event on resilience Delegates gather for the first day of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Bonn Climate Change Conference met for its final day on Thursday, 18 May. In the morning, the closing plenary for the forty-sixth session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 46) convened and suspended. The SBSTA gaveled to a close at 7:54pm. In the afternoon, the forty-sixth session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 46) convened. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, incoming COP 23 President, Fiji, addressed the plenary, underscoring that “those who are most vulnerable must be heard” and stated that COP 23 will forge a coalition to uphold and advance the Paris Agreement. The SBI took several decisions and then suspended. The SBI gaveled to a close at 7:37pm. In the late afternoon, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-3) contact group met and continued to work into the evening. Saying "the clock is ticking," APA Co-Chair Sarah Baashan (Saudi Arabia) suspended APA 1-3 at 9:29pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2017. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page High-Level Meetings with the Prime Minister of Fiji A roundtable discussion between the incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 Presidency and the COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, and incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 President UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa  A roundtable discussion is held with the Prime Minister of Fiji and the COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency Inia Seruiratu, Minister of Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, and High-Level Climate Champion, Fiji; and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, and incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 President Nazhat Shameem Khan, Fiji, incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 Presidency; Aziz Mekouar, Morocco, COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency; and Hamza Tber, Morocco COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Plenary View of the dais during the SBSTA closing plenary SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Victor Kabengele Wa Kadilu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Jesus Guerra Bell, Cuba, speaking on behalf of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) Juan Carlos Arredondo Brun, Mexico, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Abdullah K. Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Catherine Stewart, Canada Kay Harrison, New Zealand Marilyn Averill, Research and Independent NGOs (RINGOs) Côme Girschig, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Indigenous Peoples Deborah Mugerwa Nalwanga, Women and Gender Eddy Pérez, Climate Action Network (CAN), speaking on behalf of Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) Rachel Kennerley, Friends of the Earth International, speaking on behalf of ENGOs Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) Closing Plenary Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, arrives at the plenary Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland View of the dais during the SBI plenary Bernarditas Muller, Philippines, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China Trigg Talley, US Oleg Shamanov, Russian Federation Mamadou Honadia, Burkino Faso Ghalia Benziouche, Algeria Mohamed Nasr, Egypt Delegates huddle to discuss a way forward with SBI conclusions Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) Closing Plenary The draft APA negotiating text is distributed to delegates Delegates from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize, and Kishan Kumarsingh, Trinidad and Tobago APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand Ian Fry, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Xolisa Ngwadla, South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group Henrik Eriksen, Norway Nicole Wilke, EU Amjad Abdulla, Maldives Reinaldo Salgado, Brazil Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the EIG Around the Venue Delegates from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay Nazhat Shameem Khan, Fiji, incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 Presidency Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, and incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 President Horacio Peluffo, UNFCCC Secretariat; Aziz Mekouar, Morocco, COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency; and Hamza Tber, Morocco, COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency Delegates from South Sudan Delegates from Botswana Delegates from Sudan Delegates from The Gambia Chebet Maikut, Uganda Collin Beck, Solomon Islands Delegates speak informally The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the negotiations: Claudia Friedrich, Germany; Aaron Cosbey, Canada; Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Nepal/US; Annelies Van Gaalen, South Africa; Jen Allan, Canada; Alice Bisiaux, France/Spain; Mari Luomi, Finland/UAE; Beate Antonich, Germany/US; and Kiara Worth, South Africa

The Bonn Climate Change Conference continued on Wednesday, 17 May. Throughout the day, informal consultations and contact groups met to discuss various issues under the forty-sixth sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 46) and Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 46), as well as the third part of the first session on the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-3). The APA contact group met in the afternoon and evening. Throughout the day, mandated events convened. The Technical Expert Meeting on adaptation met all day, focusing on how national adaptation plans can enable linkages between national and subnational development planning processes and strategies. In the afternoon, the multi-stakeholder dialogue on the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform continued discussions. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2017. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)/Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Technical Expert Meeting (TEM): Adaptation Delegates gather for the second day of the Technical Expert Meeting on adaptation Akio Takemoto, Ministry of the Environment, Japan Musonda Mumba, UN Environment Beth Lavender, Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) Member Benjamin Karmorh, Environment Protection Agency, Liberia Sione Fulivai, Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications, Tonga Delegates ask questions through an online platform Delegates share ideas with their neighbors Delegates during the session Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) Contact Group View of the dais during the APA contact group APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand APA Co-Chair Sarah Baashan, Saudi Arabia, and Co-Facilitator for agenda item 8 - other matters Nicolas Zambrano Sanchez, Ecuador, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 4 - adaptation communications Janine Felson, Belize, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 7 - committee to facilitate implementation and promote compliance Xolisa Ngwadla, South Africa, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 6 - global stocktake Xiang Gao, China, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 5 - transparency framework Sin Liang Cheah, Singapore, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 3 - mitigation María del Pilar Bueno, Argentina, Co-Facilitator for APA agenda item 8 - further matters, Adaptation Fund Delegates read the draft conclusions presented by the Co-Chairs Raed Albasseet, Saudi Arabia, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group Andrea Faulkner, Australia, speaking on behalf of the Umbrella Group Gebru Jember, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Ravi Prasad, India Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Majid Shafie-Pour, Iran, speaking on behalf of the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) Kim Carnahan, US Delegates from the EIG Delegates speak with APA Co-Chair Jo Tyndall, New Zealand Delegates from the LMDCs Delegates from the African Group Delegates from the LDCs Delegates from the Umbrella Group Delegates huddle to discuss a way forward for the APA Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on the Operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform Delegates gather for the second day of the multi-stakeholder dialogue on the operationalization of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize Grace Balawag, International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) Pamela Rocha, Ecuador Koko Warner, UNFCCC Secretariat Geert Fremout, EU Ella Havnevik Giske, Norway Julio Cordano, Chile Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNSRRIP) Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, IIPFCC Inka Saara Arttijeff, Sámi Parliament, Finland Sébastien Duyck, speaking on behalf of Environmental, Trade Union and Youth NGOs, Women and Gender, and Farmers UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa applauds the work done during the session Francois Paulette, IIPFCC (center), leads the group in a prayer to close the session Around the Venue UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa arrives at the venue Delegates huddle to discuss budget issues SBSTA Chair Carlos Fuller, Belize, speaks with delegates Delegates gather outside of Chamber Hall Horacio Peluffo, UNFCCC Secretariat Delegates from Austria and Luxembourg Delegates from Argentina and Saudi Arabia speak informally Delegates from Brazil Delegates between sessions Security staff at the World Conference Center Bonn

The following side events were covered by ENBOTS on Wednesday, 17 May 2017: Addressing Vulnerability in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries: Adaptation, Capacity, People South-South Initiatives to Support Monitoring, Reporting and Verification, and Transparency of Action and Support Raising Ambition in Climate and Development: Adaptation Benefit Mechanism and Sustainable Development Goals Impact Quantification Supporting Loss and Damage for the Most Vulnerable: Experiences from Africa and Elsewhere Human Mobility and Climate Change: Synergies between the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Other Global Policy Processes Contribution of Forest Landscape Restoration to Nationally Determined Contributions IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the Side (ENBOTS) Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage of selected side events at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, May 2017. Photos by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada Vigil For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Addressing Vulnerability in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries: Adaptation, Capacity, People Presented by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) and the African Union Commission (AUC) This side event centered on a dialogue and exchange of ideas among vulnerable ACP island states, least developed countries (LDCs), and landlocked and coastal countries. Viwanou Gnassounou, ACP Group Secretariat, moderated the event. Underscoring that “climate change is the single greatest threat to the security and livelihoods of our people,” Johnson Weru, Chair, ACP Subcommittee on Sustainable Development, highlighted close cooperation with the EU to undertake climate action and tackle other environmental problems. He noted the ACP is developing a dedicated programme to support small island developing States (SIDS) to address their unique vulnerabilities. Olushola Olayide, African Union (AU), underscored the vulnerability of the African continent. Among key initiatives the Union is engaged in, she highlighted: Climate for Development in Africa; the High-level Work Programme on Climate Change Action in Africa; the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative; the Africa Adaptation Initiative; and the initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to climate change. Stressing that “the universality of the Paris Agreement is something we need to preserve and protect,” Elina Bardram, European Commission, highlighted the “special” nature of the ACP-EU partnership, highlighting the partnership’s potential to influence other global actors. She noted the EU is working through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Partnership and the Global Climate Change Alliance to help partner governments meet their commitments. Deo Saran, Fiji, noted the incoming Presidency of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 23) and the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 13) aims to maintain the momentum and cohesiveness from the two previous COPs, in order to continue to build the international climate change agenda. He highlighted groundwork to ensure completion of the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement, and preparations for the 2018 facilitative dialogue as priorities for COP 23. Kamal Djemouai, African Group of Negotiations (AGN), said there is a “vulnerability gap” in the UNFCCC process. He emphasized six key concepts that are important in this context: vulnerabilities, in their “plural form”; special circumstances; capacities and capabilities; NDCs; differentiation; and means of implementation. Stressing that “it’s not a beauty contest” about who is the most vulnerable, Amjad Abdulla, Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), underlined that unity will be critical to ensure the voices of developing countries continue to be heard going forward. He said said loss and damage action should be further strengthened, and called for COP 23 to advance discussions on how the Adaptation Fund will serve the Paris Agreement. Gebru Jember Endalew, LDC Group, said COP 23 should provide the basis for a clear roadmap on the final outcome of the Paris Agreement rulebook. He identified the 2018 facilitative dialogue as a key step to increasing ambition, and said the Group supports a political declaration at the end of 2018 to guide review of NDCs.  In the ensuing discussion, participants highlighted: COP 23 as a “COP for action”; the need for COP 23 to focus on capacity building; efforts to create “a high ambition coalition for shipping”; and the need for “all countries of the international community” to work together to defend the Paris Agreement and climate science. L-R: Amjad Abdulla, AOSIS; Deo Saran, Fiji; Elina Bardram, European Commission; Johnson Weru, Chair, ACP Subcommittee on Sustainable Development; Olushola Olayide, AUC; Kamal Djemouai, AGN; and Viwanou Gnassounou, ACP Group Secretariat Gebru Jember Endalew, LDC Group (center), highlighted the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative for Sustainable Development as crucial for reducing LDCs’ vulnerability. Elina Bardram, European Commission, highlighted transparency and the 2018 facilitative dialogue as key issues to be addressed at COP 23. Viwanou Gnassounou, ACP Group Secretariat, moderated the event. Deo Saran, Fiji, stressed the need to “give confidence to the world that we are progressing at the right speed.”  Kamal Djemouai, AGN, underlined that “the more divided developing countries are, the more vulnerable they are to climate change impacts and their consequences.” Amjad Abdulla, AOSIS, stressed: “We will all only go far if we stay united.” A participant during the side event Contact: Pendo Maro | pendomaro@acp.int  Olushola Olayide | OlusholaO@africa-union.org  More Information: http://www.acp.int/content/bonn-climate-change-conference-vulnerability-africa-caribbean-pacific-countries-adaptation-c https://www.au.int/ South-South Initiatives to Support Monitoring, Reporting and Verification, and Transparency of Action and SupportPresented by the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) This side event showcased South-South cooperation success stories on: technical and financial support; strengthening in-country and regional institutional capacity for monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), and transparency of action and support in developing countries; and sharing methods, tools and data. William Agyemang-Bonsu, UNFCCC Secretariat, moderated the discussion.  Toby Hedger, UNFCCC Secretariat, presented the UNFCCC Climate Action and Support Transparency Training (UNFCCC-CASTT) programme, an initiative for national readiness for implementation of the Paris Agreement developed jointly with the Greenhouse Gas Inventory & Research Center of Korea (GIR). She explained that the programme’s objective is to promote effective and universal participation of countries in MRV and the transparency framework under the Paris Agreement through targeted, professional and comprehensive capacity building, as well as to contribute to implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education). She said the programme offers packages for policymakers, policy implementers, and technicians and development experts.  Jae Jung, GIR, elaborated on the Center’s collaboration with the UNFCCC-CASTT to provide a professional training programme on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for national experts from developing countries. He said the UNFCCC-GIR-CASTT programme has offered lectures and hands-on exercises to government officials and researchers from developing countries on GHG compilation and mitigation modeling since 2011, with 228 trainees from 52 countries successfully completing the programme.  Damiano Borgogno, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Global Support Programme (GSP), stressed the need to ensure that supported initiatives are sustainable over time, and to avoid redundancy. Among GSP-supported initiatives, he highlighted the West African South-South Network on MRV and the Latin American Network on GHG Inventories. Agré Mathieu Richemond Assié, Côte d’Ivoire, elaborated on the West African South-South Network on MRV, highlighting its vision to have operational MRV systems in West African countries by 2020. Among the Network’s objectives, he noted: facilitating the exchange of knowledge in the energy, and agriculture, forestry and other land-use sectors; supporting capacity development activities; and creating awareness within national institutions responsible for data collection.  Diana Camila Rodríguez Vargas, Colombia, showcased the Latin American Network on GHG Inventories. She highlighted challenges faced by Latin American countries, including: development of GHG inventories; maintaining stable inventory systems over time; and adequate institutional arrangements. She said the purpose of the Network is to: maintain South-South cooperation on national GHG inventories among Latin American Spanish-speaking countries; facilitate knowledge exchange through a range of tools; and provide technical support on, inter alia, different models of institutional arrangements and strengthening capacity for using the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National GHG Inventories. Kirsten Orschulok, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany, presented on the Partnership on Transparency in the Paris Agreement (PATPA), formerly the International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV, outlining the Partnership’s current activities to promote practical exchange and political dialogue between countries on enhanced transparency. She noted that the PATPA seeks to foster transparency, communication, networking and trust between countries by bringing together negotiators and implementers.  During the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: the role of adaptation in the Paris Agreement transparency framework; PATPA support on transparency of adaptation and support; and eligibility requirements for participation in UNFCCC-CASTT workshops. L-R: William Agyemang-Bonsu, UNFCCC Secretariat; Kirsten Orschulok, BMUB, Germany; Agré Mathieu Richemond Assié, Côte d’Ivoire; and Damiano Borgogno, UNDP GSP Jae Jung, GIR, said that the UNFCCC-GIR-CASTT programme on GHG inventories provides training on reporting and review under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, GHG inventory compilation and sectoral GHG MRV, among others. Damiano Borgogno, UNDP GSP (center), introduced the GSP-supported West African South-South Network on MRV and the Latin American Network on GHG Inventories. William Agyemang-Bonsu, UNFCCC Secretariat, noted that the UNFCCC-CASTT programme “allows us to move away from traditional workshops.” Among the main activities of the Latin American Network on GHG Inventories, Diana Camila Rodríguez Vargas, Colombia, highlighted establishment of formal arrangements to implement the Network, and identification of barriers and support needs. Kirsten Orschulok, BMUB, Germany, said PATPA’s formats include: partnership meetings on the margins of UN negotiations; capacity-building activities through peer-to-peer learning during technical workshops; and knowledge sharing. Contact: Marlan Pillay | Mpillay@unfccc.int More Information: http://unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_national_communications/unfccc_castt/items/10261.php https://www.transparency-partnership.net/ https://www.gir.go.kr/eng/ Raising Ambition in Climate and Development: Adaptation Benefit Mechanism and Sustainable Development Goals Impact QuantificationPresented by the Gold Standard Foundation (GSF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) In this side event, panelists highlighted how sustainable development can catalyze greater climate ambition while helping developing countries meet their development objectives. Gareth Phillips, AfDB, moderated the panel.  Outlining a proposed adaptation benefit mechanism (ABM), Phillips underscored that, if created, the ABM will: use a credible and transparent process to provide a results-based mechanism; offer a price signal for adaptation benefits; and determine this price signal by verified costs defined by an approved methodology. He said that the ABM would likely be supported by: donors who wish to transfer climate funds for long-term adaptation in a “transparent, efficient and cost-effective manner”; and socially responsible corporate buyers who wish to demonstrate their global awareness to shareholders and stakeholders. Highlighting differences between the Clean Development Mechanism and the proposed ABM, Phillips stressed that: the ABM is simpler, as it is a “contract” and not an “uncapped environmental liability”; units are non-fungible and not designed for submission against an obligation; and the ABM will finance the most compelling adaptation needs. Noting a “preponderance of mitigation” among internationally-negotiated financing mechanisms, Axel Michaelowa, Perspectives Climate Change, said that the ABM could reduce this bias. He suggested that, to avoid potential “stumbling blocks,” the ABM should ensure that: the mechanism does not “crowd out” public finance; units provide an “open choice” for the private sector; and a sufficient number of methodologies allows for a “convergence” of similar approaches and metrics.  Chebet Maikut, Uganda, emphasized that current funding mechanisms are not sufficient to meet the needs of all developing countries. He called for fully capitalizing on current funding mechanisms and innovative approaches to mobilize additional resources. Maikut said that the ABM has the potential to “liberate” private sector financing.  Questioning why it has been an “uphill battle” to include sustainable development in climate negotiations, Marion Verles, GSF, underscored that public support for sustainable development can be the “driving force” for more ambitious climate action. Recalling the Kyoto Protocol and associated trading schemes, she emphasized that negative public perception linked to poor safeguard mechanisms and poor sustainable development objectives undermined the Protocol’s credibility. Verles said that the “elements are in place” for a paradigm shift that embeds sustainable development in climate policies.  Noting that the definition of sustainable development varies between countries, Sven Braden, Liechtenstein, stressed the importance of national prerogatives. He called for tools and forums to discuss potential contradictions within the Sustainable Development Goals. L-R: Marion Verles, GSF; Axel Michaelowa, Perspectives Climate Change; and Sven Braden, Liechtenstein Sven Braden, Liechtenstein, noted that his country was one of the first to link Certified Emission Reductions to labeling that ensures sustainable development. Chebet Maikut, Uganda, stressed the “moral responsibility” to finance adaptation needs of developing countries. Marion Verles, GSF, underscored that sustainable development can be the “key element to move the needle” on climate ambition. Gareth Phillips, AfDB, said that, in some parts of Africa, “adaptation is the new mitigation” as there is more potential for action in this area. Contact: Sarah Leugers | sarah.leugers@goldstandard.org Gareth Phillips | g.phillips@afdb.org More Information: https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/adaptation-benefit-mechanism-abm/ Supporting Loss and Damage for the Most Vulnerable: Experiences from Africa and Elsewhere Presented by CARE International, the ACT Alliance - Action by Churches, and Practical Action This side event, moderated by Sven Harmeling, CARE International, discussed key definitions and principles for financing loss and damage initiatives, including through climate risk insurance, and shared findings from the African Risk Capacity (ARC), a specialized agency of the African Union.  Idy Niang, Senegal, said that the challenge before the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) in its work on a clearing house for risk transfer is to develop a sound international framework to ensure that insurance companies help vulnerable populations. He noted the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) in his country, highlighting food security among its benefits. Sabine Minninger, ACT Alliance, hoped that the upcoming Group of 20 Summit, taking place in Hamburg. Germany, from 7-8 July 2017, will take forward Germany’s InsuResilience initiative, which aims to provide climate risk insurance coverage to 400 million poor and vulnerable people by 2020. She cautioned against addressing climate change by “dealing with the symptoms,” such as loss and damage. Minninger also urged civil society to work on making climate risk insurance premiums affordable, noting that the poorest “should not pay at all.” Vitumbiko Chinoko, CARE International, presented on the ARC, highlighting experiences from Southern Africa. Among recommendations for the ARC, he identified the need for: capacity building on, and affordability of, climate risk insurance; enhanced participation and transparency through involving non-state actors; enabling environments; using participation of the poor as a criterion for approving applications for certificates of good standing; and a participatory monitoring and evaluation process for the whole facility that should include poor women farmers. Swenja Surminski, London School of Economics (LSE), emphasized the importance of keeping in mind the aims and objectives behind using insurance as a tool to address loss and damage. Highlighting advantages of insurance over post-disaster aid, she noted incentivizing and enhancing risk reduction through insurance, and sharing loss and damage beyond the at-risk community through solidarity funds as key challenges to designing and implementing insurance in the loss and damage context.  Reinhard Mechler, International Institute for Advanced System Analysis (IIASA), outlined the pro-poor principles of the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), including comprehensive needs-based solutions, client value, affordability, accessibility, participation, sustainability and enabling environments. Among transformative measures for risk management, he highlighted: pooling and sharing risks in order to diversify them; innovative instruments involving public-private partnerships; livelihood transformation; and migration. Under “curative” options, he listed loss and damage mechanisms at the national level and a displacement coordination facility.   In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: the role of the WIM ExCom and the clearing house for risk transfer in initiatives, such as InsuResilience; innovative sources of, and accounting for, loss and damage finance; utility of indirect insurance mechanisms for the poor; links between insurance initiatives and humanitarian networks; involvement of multilateral development banks in climate insurance; and challenges associated with covering insurance premiums for the poor. In closing, Colin McQuistan, Practical Action, said that the key objective of the event was to “keep loss and damage on the agenda,” noting that capacity building is vital. Sabine Minninger, ACT Alliance; Swenja Surminski, LSE; Sven Harmeling, CARE International; Reinhard Mechler, IIASA; and Vitumbiko Chinoko, CARE International Sven Harmeling, CARE International, questioned whether insurance mechanisms have the capacity to address the growing risks of loss and damage. Reinhard Mechler, IIASA, observed that “there is not a single market-based insurance mechanism; there is always an element of solidarity involved.” Sabine Minninger, ACT Alliance, underscored that “climate insurance is not an answer to climate justice.” Noting that women are the most vulnerable to climate change, Vitumbiko Chinoko, CARE International, highlighted his organization’s efforts to ensure that women are protected. Contact: Sven Harmeling | sharmeling@careclimatechange.org  Isaiah Toroitich | ikt@actalliance.org  Colin McQuistan | colin.mcquistan@practicalaction.org.uk  More Information: http://www.care-international.org/ http://actalliance.org/ https://practicalaction.org/  Human Mobility and Climate Change: Synergies between the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Other Global Policy Processes Presented by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) This event discussed developments relevant to the Task Force on Climate Displacement under the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts, which was mandated by the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to develop recommendations to avert, minimize and address displacement. Atle Solberg, Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD), moderated the event. Michelle Yonetani, International Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), NRC, highlighted that displacement is more strongly recognized under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) than under its predecessor, the Hyogo Framework for Action. Among key recommendations of the PDD to the 2017 Global Platform for DRR, she noted: preventing displacement and reducing displacement risk; addressing protection needs and promoting durable solutions to displacement; and strengthening the systematic collection and monitoring of displacement data to inform policy and planning. Marine Franck, UNHCR, introduced the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, noting processes to adopt a global compact on migration and a global compact on refugees as key outcomes. She highlighted the UNHCR’s work includes Guidelines on Temporary Protection or Stay Arrangements, which can apply in the context of climate change and disasters, and a 10-Point Plan of Action on Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration. Dina Ionesco, International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the global compact on migration offers an opportunity to integrate climate change into key migration policy processes. She also said climate change offers an opportunity to “green” and modernize migration policy. Noting that the human rights and vulnerabilities of those affected by slow onset events are often overlooked, Benjamin Schachter, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), highlighted his organization’s efforts to address information gaps in this area. He underscored the importance of human rights policy coherence across different global policy processes.  Meredith Byrne, International Labour Organization (ILO), welcomed the integrated approach of the Task Force on Displacement, and noted that it provides opportunities to make linkages with the Sustainable Development Goals and is in a “unique position” to bring together experts from cross-cutting areas. Stressing that there are 150.3 million migrant workers with “enormous development potential,” she additionally highlighted ILO’s work on green jobs. In the discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: several opportunities for civil society to engage in the global compact on refugees, including through the UNHCR’s 2017 non-governmental organization consultations; the need to raise awareness of what human rights are, and how they can be asserted; how climate finance can exacerbate human rights violations and the need for a regulatory framework to ensure businesses respect human rights; the IOM’s Environmental Migration Portal; and the need to “shine light” on good practices. L-R: Michelle Yonetani, IDMC, NRC; Marine Franck, UNHCR; Atle Solberg, PDD; Dina Ionesco, IOM; and Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR, underscored that climate change puts human rights at risk and drives migration. Michelle Yonetani, IDMC, NRC, said climate-related disasters cause an average of 21.5 million displacements each year. Marine Franck, UNHCR, highlighted efforts to ensure synergies between the global compact on refugees and the Task Force on Climate Displacement. Dina Ionesco, IOM, stressed migrants can be powerful agents of adaptation and mitigation policies. Contact: Lena Brenn | lena.brenn@nrc.no Erica Bower | bower@unhcr.org More Information: https://www.nrc.no/what-we-do/speaking-up-for-rights/climate-change/ http://www.unhcr.org/climate-change-and-disasters.html http://disasterdisplacement.org/ Contribution of Forest Landscape Restoration to Nationally Determined Contributions Presented by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the international Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) This side event concentrated on the contribution of forest landscape restoration (FLR) to the achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Panelists shared views on the design and successful implementation of FLR policies and practices, and discussed how FLR contributes to reducing emissions and enhancing carbon stocks in forest landscapes.  Sandeep Sengupta, IUCN, moderated the event. He noted IUCN’s Bonn Challenge, which aims to secure pledges to restore up to 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2050.  Nur Masripatin, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, focused on the role of forest and land-use sectors in Indonesia’s NDC. She said that forestry is responsible for 17.2% of her country’s emissions reduction target of 29% of the business-as-usual scenario by 2030 reflected in its NDC.  Leticia Guimaraes, Ministry of Environment, Brazil, highlighted national instruments to support implementation of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+), and the national plan for recovery of native vegetation, including: the Brazilian forest code which requires land owners in the Amazon biome to maintain 80% of their land as forest; and the rural environmental registry, which enables the government to track implementation of the code. She said that her country’s NDC includes a target to reforest and recover 12 million hectares of land.  Florian Kraxner, IIASA, noted that global estimates of degraded area with potential to be restored vary from 1 billion to 6 billion hectares. Highlighting the RESTORE+ project, he said it aims to: identify degraded land; assess the implications of using different degraded land definitions; and assess the sectoral interaction of the food-land-energy nexus.  Ping Yowargana, IIASA, explained the limitations of remote sensing in identifying degraded land resources and described the potential of crowdsourcing to estimate land availability for reforestation. He detailed strategies for engaging grassroots actors in data collection and verification, including, inter alia: crowdsourcing of land cover analysis; in situ data validation using mobile applications; and visualization of land cover data sets and suitability maps.  Underscoring that FLR aims to regain ecological functionality across deforested and degraded forest landscapes, María del Carmen García-Espinosa, IUCN, said that it also promotes socioeconomic benefits by improving the wellbeing of forest-dependent communities. She highlighted IUCN’s Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology (ROAM) to identify and prioritize FLR opportunities at the national and subnational levels, noting that ROAM has been deployed in at least 26 jurisdictions or countries.  Ruth Irlen, Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany, stressed that the Bonn Challenge is about “enabling informed decision making.” She identified as key to meeting the targets of the Bonn Challenge: development of sustainable restoration models that meet national needs; and innovation to combine “big data” with crowdsourcing and ground proofing of data.  During the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: the role of indigenous peoples in Brazil in protecting forests; developing the national REDD+ project strategy and implementing reforestation projects; resilience of community conservation and restoration initiatives; and restoration of palm oil plantation land in Indonesia.  L-R: Sandeep Sengupta, IUCN; María del Carmen García-Espinosa, IUCN; Leticia Guimaraes, Ministry of Environment, Brazil; Ruth Irlen, BMUB, Germany; Nur Masripatin, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia; Florian Kraxner, IIASA; and Ping Yowargana, IIASA Ping Yowargana, IIASA, highlighted strategies for “citizen-empowered scientific assessment” of land-use degradation and restoration. Sandeep Sengupta, IUCN, moderated the event. Nur Masripatin, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia, said that the forest area in her country has decreased since 1990 but the rate of net forest loss has been cut by 50%. Leticia Guimaraes, Ministry of Environment, Brazil, highlighted her country’s recent commitment to the Bonn Challenge. Contact: Sandeep Sengupta | Sandeep.sengupta@iucn.org Susan Riley | riley@iiasa.ac.at More Information: http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge Around the Venue

The Bonn Climate Change Conference continued on Tuesday, 16 May. Throughout the day, informal consultations met to discuss various issues under the 46th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 46) and Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 46), as well as the third part of the first session on the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1-3). Throughout the day, mandated events convened. The Technical Expert Meeting on adaptation, focusing on integrating climate adaptation with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Multi-stakeholder dialogue on the operationalization of the local communities and indigenous peoples’ platform met all day. A COP roundtable discussion on the process to identify the information to be provided by parties in accordance with Paris Agreement Article 9.5 convened in the morning, and the 5th Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Dialogue met in the afternoon to discuss climate change training and international cooperation. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - May 2017. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)/Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Technical Expert Meeting (TEM): Adaptation View of the high-level panel during the opening of the Technical Expert Meeting on adaptation Hakima El Haité, Minister delegate in charge of the Environment, and High-Level Climate Champion, Morocco Inia Seruiratu, Minister of Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, and High-Level Climate Champion, Fiji Clifford Mahlung, Co-Chair, Adaptation Committee SBI Chair Tomasz Chruszczow, Poland Tibor Schaffhauser, SBSTA Vice-Chair, Hungary Youssef Nassef, UNFCCC Secretariat Musonda Mumba, UN Environment David Stevens, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Hilary Ogbonna, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Campaign Tom de Groeve, European Commission Informal Consultations throughout the Day APA informal consultations on modalities, procedures and guidelines for the transparency framework APA informal consultations on further matters except the Adaptation Fund APA informal consultations on modalities and procedures for the committee to facilitate implementation and promote compliance APA informal consultations on the Adaptation Fund Civil Society Demonstrations Members of civil society hold a demonstration to raise awareness about the health implications of climate change, advocating for health to be better reflected in the negotiations and included in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) The World Medical Association showcases a programme that features air pollution statistics around the world Members of civil society hold a demonstration calling for a conflict of interest policy to keep polluters out of the negotiations Fifth Dialogue on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Delegates gather for the second day of the ACE dialogue Carolina Fuentes, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Deo Saran, Fiji, incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 Presidency Milena Gonzalez-Vasquez, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Farayi Madziwa, Adaptation Fund Barbara Hemkes, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany Julia Rawlins, Climate-KIC Delegates share ideas in breakout groups Open-ended Informal Consultations on the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue View of the dais during the informal consultations Aziz Mekouar, Morocco, COP 22 / CMP 12 Presidency Kim Chang Soo, Republic of Korea, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Nazhat Shameem Khan, Fiji, incoming COP 23 / CMP 13 Presidency Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia Gebru Jember, Ethiopia, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Amjad Abdulla, Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Around the Venue Delegates huddle during informal consultations to discuss matters Delegates take photos during the TEM on adaptation A delegate reads the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) website to follow the negotiations Delegates from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain Amjad Abdulla, Maldives, speaks with a delegate Delegates between sessions

The following side events were covered by ENBOTS on Monday, 15 May 2017: Ecosystems and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Advancing Action through Knowledge Achievements of the Consultative Group of Experts and Success Stories of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports from Developing Countries Climate and Development Benefits of Black Carbon Mitigation Arctic Council Ministerial and the Future of the Arctic under the Paris Agreement Integrating Climate Risk into the Finance Sector Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology Transfer IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the Side (ENBOTS) Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage of selected side events at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, May 2017. Photos by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada Vigil For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Ecosystems and Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Advancing Action through Knowledge Presented by the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP), the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) and Friends of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (FEBA) This session, moderated by Musonda Mumba, UN Environment, centered on the role of healthy ecosystems in helping people to adapt to climate change. Participants discussed building climate resilience of ecosystems, and facilitating the integration of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approaches in national development plans. Tibor Schaffhauser, Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Vice-Chair, on behalf of Carlos Fuller, SBSTA Chair, welcomed the NWP as “a knowledge-for-action network for climate resilience.” He invited NWP partners to pledge actions under the Programme. Ali Raza Rizvi, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)/FEBA Secretariat, presented on a recent synthesis paper on ecosystems and EbA prepared under the NWP. Among key messages, he identified: the need for due diligence in all EbA interventions to avoid maladaptation; potential synergies between adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) offered by EbA; and the need to link Paris Agreement implementation with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Angela Andrade-Pérez, Chair, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), underscored that EbA is often the best solution to address climate change impacts as it provides co-benefits, creates jobs and avoids maladaptation. She noted that this approach should be applied in conjunction with other solutions, and that “soft” measures, such as communication, education and capacity building, are key for successful implementation. Paul Desanker, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, highlighted work by the LEG and partners to explore implementation of the SDGs through National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation to assess progress in meeting the NAPs’ objectives. Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing State (SIDS) Issues, Seychelles, discussed his country’s intention to convert 30% of its Exclusive Economic Zone into Marine Protected Areas, contributing to marine conservation and EbA. He highlighted the pioneering of innovative funding mechanisms to implement this project, including a “debt swap” with the Paris Club, South Africa and other partners, and stressed the project’s emphasis on stakeholder participation. Paul Mafabi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, addressed efforts to enhance resilience of ecosystems in the Mount Elgon region in Uganda. Among lessons learned, he noted the need for: sustained engagement; benefits to flow to communities; and collective ownership. Ninel Escobar Montecinos, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Mexico, shared experiences with the implementation of an integrated system of water reserves as an early adaptation strategy in Mexico, which aims to cover 356 river basins by 2018. She highlighted almost a million local beneficiaries from this work thus far. In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed, inter alia, the need for “hybrid” solutions with benefits for the climate, poverty reduction and communities, and experiences with Saint Lucia’s sustainable financing mechanism. Among different tools and platforms for promoting EbA, participants highlighted: tools provided by the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre for addressing different ecosystem types; a Convention on Biological Diversity synthesis report on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and DRR; the German Government’s ‘Mainstreaming EbA’ project; Partners for Resilience; and IUCN’s work on understanding legal and policy frameworks that support the uptake of EbA. (L-R): Ali Raza Rizvi, IUCN/FEBA Secretariat; Paul Desanker, UNFCCC Secretariat; Angela Andrade-Pérez, Chair, IUCN CEM; and Musonda Mumba, UN Environment Ali Raza Rizvi, IUCN/FEBA Secretariat (right), stressed that poverty reduction is critical to successful adaptation. Angela Andrade-Pérez, IUCN CEM (left),, highlighted ecosystems’ vital role in resilience, but warned that their capacity to deliver services is affected by climate change. (L-R): Paul Mafabi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda; Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and SIDS Issues, Seychelles; Musonda Mumba, UN Environment; and Ninel Escobar Montecinos, WWF Mexico Paul Desanker, UNFCCC Secretariat, invited participants to reflect on how best to prioritize resources to meet the requirements of priority ecosystems. Musonda Mumba, UN Environment, moderated the event. Paul Mafabi, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, underscored that participatory planning is key for ensuring ownership and sustainability. Ninel Escobar Montecinos, WWF Mexico, stressed preserving water is “a race against time.” Contact: Rojina Manandhar | rmanandhar@unfccc.int  More Information: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2017/sbsta/eng/03.pdf https://www.surveymonkey.de/r/ecosystemsNAPs http://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NWP/News/Pages/ecosystems-side-event-2.aspx Achievements of the Consultative Group of Experts and Success Stories of National Communications and Biennial Update Reports from Developing CountriesPresented by the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) This side event discussed the achievements of the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) on National Communications (NCs) in assisting developing countries in implementing the UNFCCC monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) and transparency framework. Dominique Revet, UNFCCC Secretariat, moderated the event. Stephen Mutua Kinguyu, CGE member, Kenya, reported that the CGE’s mandate was renewed at the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 19) for the 2014-2018 period, highlighting its objective of improving the process and preparation of NCs and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) by developing countries by providing them with technical assistance and support. He highlighted five key strategic priorities of the CGE’s five-year programme, including: building developing countries’ capacity; enhancing the sustainability of the NC and BUR process, cooperation and collaboration with other global initiatives, and communication and outreach; and ensuring availability of resources. Among the CGE’s capacity-building activities, Kinguyu noted: developing tools and guidance materials; capacity-building workshops; developing collaboration with key global initiatives; monthly webinar series on vulnerability and adaptation, mitigation, national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and support; and outreach activities. He further indicated that CGE training materials are easily downloadable on the UNFCCC CGE website, which also provides access to free e-learning courses, and that CGE training materials are also available in French and Spanish. Kok Seng Yap, Malaysia, shared lessons learned on overcoming challenges faced in preparing his country’s national reports. He outlined key findings of Malaysia’s BUR submitted on 3 March 2016, including that: effective institutional arrangements based on built ownership and a robust MRV system necessitate adjustments; good understanding of UNFCCC decisions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines increases transparency of reporting; and the international consultation and analysis process enhances understanding of reporting requirements for future improvements. Regarding key challenges related to mitigation actions, he noted: operationalizing a robust MRV system; lack of information for quantification and reporting; and quantification of needs. Among GHG inventory-related challenges, he highlighted limited availability of activity data according to IPCC guidelines, and country-specific emission factors. He said these challenges could be addressed through continuous engagement with formal and informal stakeholders, trust-building and training.     In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: participants’ selection process in CGE training sessions; advantages of building national institutional capacity over short-term consultants’ engagement; the role of the CGE in Paris Agreement implementation and in building relationships with the Paris Committee on Capacity-building and the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency; and the impact of NC and BUR preparation on future country policies. (L-R): Bhava Dhungana, UNFCCC Secretariat; Dominique Revet, UNFCCC Secretariat; Stephen Mutua Kinguyu, CGE member, Kenya; and Kok Seng Yap, Malaysia Stephen Mutua Kinguyu, CGE member, Kenya, invited views from parties on “what the CGE could do for them it is not already doing.” Dominique Revet, UNFCCC Secretariat, said the UNFCCC Secretariat has supplementary funding for assisting developing countries with workshop participation. Contact: Bhava Dhungana (Organizer) | BDhungana@unfccc.int Dominique Revet (Moderator) | drevet@unfccc.int More Information: http://unfccc.int/national_reports/non-annex_i_natcom/cge/items/2608.php Climate and Development Benefits of Black Carbon MitigationPresented by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Governments of Canada, Chile and Mexico This side event highlighted the impacts of black carbon on climate and health, and discussed the scientific rationale for countries to include black carbon as a regulated emission in national and local air quality regulations and standards. Nathan Borgford-Powell, CCAC, moderated the event.  Noting that black carbon is the second most important warming agent in the atmosphere, Mark Lawrence, IASS, highlighted climate and health reasons to mitigate emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). He stressed that fast action to mitigate SLCPs will: reduce near-term warming; contribute to the 2°C above preindustrial levels target; reduce the need for climate adaptation; and, while saving lives, improve health and productivity. Borgford-Powell concentrated on metrics for evaluating climate benefits and co-benefits of SLCP measures. He outlined the applications of these metrics, including: quantification of impacts and benefits of SLCP mitigation; standardization of reporting activities; measurement of progress towards long-term climate goals; and comparison between climate pollutants. Highlighting a recent CCAC Scientific Advisory Panel Expert Workshop on metrics, Borgford-Powell called for a “near-term temperature metric” for SLCPs that complements long-term temperature targets. Participating virtually, Drew Shindell, Duke University, described climate change as “both a short-term and a long-term problem.” He stressed that the long-term transition to a low-carbon society does not consider the short-term health and climate impacts of pollutants other than carbon, including: emissions released through burning waste; leaked methane from waste management; and biomass- and bioenergy-related emissions. Maria Amparo Martínez, Mexico, underscored that Mexican urban areas have air pollution levels above what is considered healthy by the World Health Organization. Reporting that Mexico’s 2013 black carbon emission inventory estimated 125,000 tons of black carbon emissions annually, Martínez highlighted an interinstitutional black carbon monitoring network and other strategic actions planned in the country’s “megalopolis” region around Mexico City. Felipe Osses, Chile, emphasized that Chile’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) includes actions to reduce SLCPs through climate-related instruments and environmental management. He highlighted his country’s mitigation actions to reduce SLCPs under its ‘Climate Change Action Plan 2017-2022,’ including: development of the ‘Climate, Clean Air and Capacity Building’ programme; assessment of black carbon and CO2 reduction potential through green freight; elaboration, updating and integration of inventories of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and SLCPs; a strategy for atmospheric decontamination; and hydrofluorocarbon replacement actions.  Catherine Stewart, Canada, underlined Canada’s recognition of the important role SLCPs play in meeting long-term temperature targets. She highlighted her country’s efforts to mitigate SLCPs, including through: its ‘mid-century, long-term low-GHG development strategy;’ the Pan-Canadian Framework for Clean Growth and Climate Change; and the implementation of air pollution regulations. Stewart said that Canada faces a “particular challenge” in reducing reliance on diesel for electricity and heating in Northern, remote and indigenous communities. During the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: reduction of wildfires as a form of mitigation of black carbon and co-pollutants; inclusion of black carbon in the measurement of national emissions; and expansion of the CCAC. (L-R): Catherine Stewart, Canada; Felipe Osses, Chile; and Maria Amparo Martínez, Mexico Mark Lawrence, IASS, underscored that outdoor particulate matter causes approximately 4 million premature deaths annually worldwide. Nathan Borgford-Powell, CCAC, said the CCAC will “road test” proposed near-term climate metrics with interested countries and institutions. Catherine Stewart, Canada, stated that Canada’s investments in clean energy will result in reduced black carbon emissions. Felipe Osses, Chile, outlined Chile’s “integral policy-making approach” to reducing SLCPs emissions. Contact: Kathleen Mar | Kathleen.mar@iass-potsdam.de Erin Silsbe | erin.silsbe@canada.ca More Information: http://www.iass-potsdam.de/en/institute-advanced-sustainability-studies http://www.ccacoalition.org/en Arctic Council Ministerial and the Future of the Arctic under the Paris AgreementPresented by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) This side event addressed climate outcomes of the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial held in Fairbanks, Alaska, US, from 10-11 May 2017, and the role of the Paris Agreement in preserving the Arctic’s role in the climate system. Participants discussed the findings of the 2017 climate impact assessment by the Arctic Council titled ‘Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic’ (SWIPA2), and their implications for the 2018 facilitative dialogue and the global stocktake envisioned under the Paris Agreement. Svante Bodin, Director, ICCI-Europe, moderated the event. Lars-Otto Reiersen, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Arctic Council, presented on SWIPA2. Among the report’s key findings, he noted: record high Arctic temperatures in the last decade; that by mid- and late 2100 the Arctic will be “very different”; and urgent mitigation action can stabilize parts of the Arctic towards the end of the 21st century. Underscoring the Arctic Council Fairbanks Declaration 2017, he identified the AMAP Working Group’s recommendations, including early, ambitious and full implementation of the Paris Agreement, and prioritization of research to enhance certainty in predictions.  Elvira Poloczanska, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II (WG II) Technical Support Unit (TSU), updated participants on progress on the preparation of the IPCC ‘Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’ (SROCC) to be finalized in September 2019.  Outi Honkatukia, Finland, outlined Finland’s four priorities for its 2017-2019 chairmanship of the Arctic Council: environmental protection, including biodiversity conservation, pollution prevention, and climate change mitigation and adaptation; connectivity; meteorological cooperation, including on intensifying monitoring and filling geographical gaps in data collection; and education. Honkatukia underscored that sustainable development is “at the core of the Arctic Council’s mandate,” and called for exploring how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development framework can be used for Arctic cooperation for the benefit of humans and nature.  Svante Bodin addressed the implications of the Arctic “passing irreversible thresholds” for the 2018 facilitative dialogue, and highlighted the need for new and additional measures. Linking the Arctic cryosphere with the Sustainable Development Goals, he stressed the need to reduce cryosphere climate change in the near term, reduce air pollution and feed a growing population through addressing Short-Lived Climate Pollutants. Bodin underscored that the only way to prevent irreversible changes in the Arctic is to accelerate all possible mitigation measures quickly and decisively “never to reach these temperatures at all,” as “a 2°C world is a 5°C Arctic.” He said that the choice for the 2018 stocktake is between Arctic-preserving mitigation or extreme adaptation and geoengineering.  Participants then viewed an intervention made during the Arctic Council Ministerial by Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden, who emphasized that “we have the knowledge, technology, money and capacity to save our planet.”  In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: methane release through the loss of permafrost; the need for a pamphlet “bringing science to the public” and associated communication challenges; the response of the negotiating and political communities to the situation in the Arctic and its global impacts; the irreversibility of changes in the Arctic; and civil society involvement and the role of intergenerational equity. (L-R): Elvira Poloczanska, IPCC WG II TSU; Outi Honkatukia, Finland; and Lars-Otto Reiersen, AMAP, Arctic Council Outi Honkatukia, Finland, said that “the Arctic is a global issue; you feel impacts not just in Greenland, but also in New York and Florida.” Lars-Otto Reiersen, AMAP, Arctic Council, described the Arctic as the “barometer of the globe.” Participants viewed an intervention made during the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial by Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden, who said Sweden will be carbon-neutral by 2045. Elvira Poloczanska, IPCC WG II TSU, indicated that the SROCC will address, inter alia: high mountain areas; the polar regions; and sea-level rise and implications for low lying islands, coasts and communities. Warning that “what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic,” Svante Bodin, Director, ICCI-Europe, highlighted the disproportionate impacts on poor populations. Contact: Pamela Pearson | pam@iccinet.org Svante Bodin (Moderator) | svante@iccinet.org More Information: http://iccinet.org/ http://www.amap.no/swipa2017 http://www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/ Integrating Climate Risk into the Finance SectorPresented by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Worldwide, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) This session focused on the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) as a tool to manage climate risks. It was moderated by Nicolette Bartlett, CDP. Norbert Gorißen, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany, welcomed the TCFD’s recommendations as “a very important piece of work,” noting they will showcase how financial markets can identify risk and barriers to shift finance closer to climate-related investments. Underscoring “there is lots of evidence of real-life action companies are taking,” Lois Guthrie, WBCSD and Founding Director, Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), noted that investors still find it difficult to act on information because of a lack of standards and comparability. She called for “more infrastructure” to support commitments and actions towards improved policy making. Ed Wells, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), said the TCFD’s recommendations offer a framework to channel money in the “right direction” and ensure the right sectors are being supported. Suggesting that a mandatory legislative response “will take a long time,” he stressed that “the private sector can drive this soon.” Santiago Lorenzo, WWF, highlighted that climate change is “on top of our work’s systemic risk” and said the same applies to financial institutions, whose core businesses will be affected by climate change. He highlighted the TCFD’s efforts as vital for ensuring that good investment decisions are taken. In the ensuing discussion, participants raised the question of how to address “incumbents” who benefit from short-term investments that are destructive for the planet. They highlighted, inter alia: the importance of coherence and transparency for guiding good investments; the potential of multilateral development banks cooperating in this area; and the role of science in enhancing transparency. France’s ‘Article 173’ on climate risk reporting, the UK’s Public Services (Social Value) Act and the 2° Investing Initiative were lauded as positive examples and developments. Participants also highlighted that “we are talking about the trillions here” and questioned the prospects of “getting where we need to be” without a meaningful carbon price. L-R: Norbert Gorißen, BMUB, Germany; Lois Guthrie, WBCSD and Founding Director, CDSB; Nicolette Bartlett, CDP; Ed Wells, HSBC; and Santiago Lorenzo, WWF Lois Guthrie, WBCSD and Founding Director, CDSB, noted that current climate change activities are so fragmented that they do not “add up to a coherent whole.” Santiago Lorenzo, WWF, emphasized that ecosystems and the economy will benefit significantly from “preserving the world we live in right now.” Nicolette Bartlett, CDP, moderated the event. Ed Wells, HSBC, observed that “markets need good quality information to avoid mispricing of risk and misallocation of resources.” Contact: Shirin Reuvers | shirin.reuvers@cdp.net  Elise Buckle | buckle@wbcsd.org  Mandy Woods | mwoods@wwf.org.za  More Information: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/ Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology TransferPresented by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) In this side event, panelists shared experiences and lessons learned from projects supported under the Poznan strategic programme (PSP) on technology transfer. They focused on the knowledge and networks of regional development banks, and provided inputs to an update of the evaluation of the PSP scheduled for 2017. Masako Ogawa, GEF, moderated the event. Noting that sustainable investing is “increasingly mainstream” for multilateral development banks (MDBs), Duarte da Silva, Asia Climate Partners (ACP), pointed to significant for partnerships with institutions that have common goals and complementary capabilities to MDBs. He identified a “mismatch” between supply of, and demand for, environmental finance investments, where investor interest is estimated to be US$620 billion but current market size amounts to only US$120 billion. Da Silva outlined the ACP’s ‘Climate Public-Private Partnership Fund’ concept, underscoring that the Fund mobilizes capital at scale from global public and private sector investors. Abhilash Thirupathy, Gold Farm, identified key barriers to the development of renewable energy in India, including: limited access to venture capital funding; and the lack of a long-term view of capacity building. He highlighted Gold Farm’s partnership with the PSP and noted key achievements, including: installation of 750 off-grid solar pumps across five states in India; conversion of 1,500 hectares of barren land to cultivable land; and annual revenue of US$2.5 million in the last financial year. Astrid Motta, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), highlighted EBRD’s Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC) programme, detailing its support for companies to implement advanced climate technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resilience by providing grants and technical assistance. She said that the EBRD has signed 29 transactions to date that include a FINTECC grant component, with incentives worth US$7.3 million supporting US$100 million in green incentives. Motta provided three examples of EBRD FINTECC projects: reduction of the carbon footprint of plastic toy production in Belarus; energy efficient building management systems in hospitals in Georgia; and modernization of lightweight glass manufacturing in Moldova. Detailing an EBRD-financed project in Moldova, Boris Crivoi, JV Glass Container Company JSC, highlighted energy saving processes that were implemented in the glass manufacturing process with FINTECC support. He reported a reduction of 9-9.5% of total energy consumption as well as reduced CO2 emissions per unit. Elfriede-Anna More, Technology Executive Committee (TEC), outlined TEC activities on climate technology financing, including: preparation of policy briefs on key technology issues; delivery of key messages and recommendations to the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on policies for climate technology actions; and stimulation of cooperation between key national and international donors. She introduced the TEC brief ‘Enhancing Access to Climate Technology Financing,’ pointing to a key finding that climate technology requires a combination of “long lasting, loud and legal policy incentives,” market facilitation and public finance. During the ensuing discussion, participants addressed, inter alia: linkages between solar technology and irrigation in India; replicability and diffusion of technology at the regional level; and monitoring and evaluation of the FINTECC programme and investment scheme. (L-R): Abhilash Thirupathy, Gold Farm; Astrid Motta, EBRD; Boris Crivoi, JV Glass Container Company JSC; and Masako Ogawa, GEF Boris Crivoi, JV Glass Container Company JSC, said that investing in green technology fosters “parallel” climate benefits. Astrid Motta, EBRD, highlighted 1,200 “green financing” projects supported by the EBRD from 2006-2016. Abhilash Thirupathy, Gold Farm, highlighted providing employment to 120 people among his company's key achievements. Masako Ogawa, GEF, moderated the event. Contact: Masako Ogawa | mogawa2@thegef.org More Information: https://www.thegef.org/content/poznan-strategic-program http://unfccc.int/ttclear/