NGOs

Highlights for Monday, 27 May 2019 View of the GSW 2019 plenary with Co-Facilitator Alexander Müller, Managing Director, Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner - Think Tank for Sustainability (TMG Research) delivering his opening address Global Soil Week 2019 (GSW 2019) opened on Monday morning, 27 May, with the two-day technical segment of the conference. During the opening plenary, Co-Facilitators Alice Kaudia, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Eco-Entrepreneurs Ltd., and Alexander Alexander Müller, Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner — Think Tank for Sustainability (TMG Research), welcomed representatives from government, science, NGOs, and international organizations, as well as farmers, and introduced the conference theme, ‘Creating an Enabling Environment for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Agriculture in Africa.’ Explaining the rationale for the conference, Müller observed that four years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world is still not on track to achieve these ambitious global targets. He noted that discussions at GSW 2019 would seek to explore the “missing middle” that is critical for delivering the Global Goals, including access to finance and legislative and governance frameworks that ensure secure access to land, productive resources and decision making processes, especially for women and other marginalized actors at the local level.Participants then convened in five working groups for the rest of the day to discuss experiences from more than 20 local projects in Africa and Asia. The discussions took an in-depth look at some of the factors that support or hinder the creation of an enabling environment for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture Some of the broad themes addressed in the presentations included: •    Good practices to empower women’s participation in sustainable land management and decision-making; •    Innovative approaches to secure smallholder farmers' access to land, finance and other agricultural inputs; •    Business models to strengthen financial and market inclusion for smallholder farmers and pastoralists; •    Opportunities to strengthen participatory governance systems for sustainable soil management and ecosystem restoration; •    Mechanisms for bridging macro- and micro-level land governance structures; and •    How to ensure sustainability of promising local initiatives. Funding for IISD Reporting Services coverage of GSW 2019 has been provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from GSW 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary report from the meeting, which is 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 Peter Murunga, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Serah Kiragu-Wissler, TMG Research Co-Facilitator Alice Kaudia, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Eco-Entrepreneurs Ltd. Co-Facilitator Alexander Müller, Managing Director, TMG Research Participants watching a video presentation by TMG and GRAF Jes Weigelt, TMG Research Saydou Koudougou, GRAF Co-Facilitators Alexander Müller, Managing Director, TMG Research, and Alice Kaudia, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Eco-Entrepreneurs Ltd. going over the agenda for the day Analysis of Cases - Parallel Implementers' Workshops David Kersting, Co-Moderator, GIZ (right) L-R: David Kersting, Co-Moderator, GIZ, with Zacharie Segda, Minister of Agriculture, Burkina Faso Paul Okongo, Kenyan Farmer Rhoda Birech, Limbua Foundation Violet Shivutse, Shibuye Community Health Workers Co-moderator Sonja Scheele, TMG Research Co-moderator Alexander Erlewein, GIZ Workshop session from the Cocoa room Jony Girma, Apis Agribusiness Ann-Kathrin Neureuther, Rare Carolyne Musee, Vi Agroforestry Amos Wekesa, Vi Agroforestry Walter Engelberg, GIZ Leigh Ann Winowiecki, ICRAF L-R: Samie Blasingame, TMG Research, with Zwide Jere, Total Land Care, Malawi L-R: Marai El Fassi, TMG Research, with Joseph Letunyoi, Laikipia Permaculture Centre

Highlights for Monday, 13 May 2019 Mami Mizutori, SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction, Sameh N. Wahba, World Bank Group, and Asako Okai, ASG, UNDP The Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction 2019 (GP2019) began preparatory events on Monday, ahead of the forthcoming high-level meeting from 15 – 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland. Many forums and side events took place in and around the main conference venue of the CICG, organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and partners including the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), universities, and other international organizations.One of the preparatory events leading up to GP2019 was Fourth World Reconstruction Conference (WRC-4). The two-day conference, which opened Monday at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG), highlighted inclusivity as a centerpiece of national DRR frameworks. Speakers noted that there are many entry points to begin protecting vulnerable populations from disasters, and cited examples such as giving support to NGOs or care workers, and identifying who is vulnerable before a disaster occurs.Another two-day preparatory event for GP2019 was the Second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Conference (MHEWS-II), which took place near the conference venue, at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The conference drew attention to the need for a multi-hazard approach in light of the anticipated impacts of climate change, and participants discussed progress on technology and partnerships to reach people in “the last mile” through MHEWS.A third event in preparation for GP2019 was the Science and Policy Forum at the nearby UN Headquarters, the Palais des Nations. The Forum brought together academics and policymakers from the disaster risk reduction (DRR) community. They discussed the need to reach audiences beyond the DRR community, expand the traditional scope of academic research to work closely with local communities, and improve the governance of risk through adopting deliberative approaches.Other events associated with GP2019 preparations on Monday included the Fourth Meeting of the Small Island States Resilience Initiative (SISRI) Practitioners’ Network at WMO, a stakeholder forum organized by UNDRR, and several consultations of regional groups. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from GP2019, which is available in HTML and PDF. For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page World Reconstruction Conference 4 Delegates take their seats as the opening session begins Asako Okai, ASG, UNDP; Carl Hallergard, Deputy Head of Delegation of EU in Geneva; Maria Luisa Silva, UNDP Delegates during the opening plenary Setsuko Saya, Cabinet Office, Japan; Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Goverment of Kerala, India; and Edward Ndopu, UNSG SDG Advocate and disability advocate Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Goverment of Kerala, India Swiss yodeling performance at the WRC4 opening ceremony Science and Policy Forum Mami Mizutori, SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction and Flavia Schlegel, International Science Council (ISC) Special Envoy for Science in Global Policy Jacqueline McGlade, University College London and Maasai Mara University, Kenya, and Andrew Revkin, National Geographic Society Rajib Shaw, Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG); Annisa Triyanti, Global STAG; Qunli Han, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR); Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, National Resilience Council, Philippines; Chadi Abdallah, Arab STAG; Jörgen Sparf, Europe STAG; Hirokazu Tatano, Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes, and Mark Pelling, Global Challenges Research Fund Qunli Han, IRDR Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, National Resilience Council, and Chadi Abdallah, Arab STAG Launch of new journal, “Progress in Disaster Science,” at the Science-Policy Forum Second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference Nicolas Bidault, World Food Programme (WFP) Martin Todd, University of Sussex; Prisca Chisala, Malawi Red Cross; Luca Dell'Oro, UNDDR; and Gabriela Guimaraes Nobre, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Pablo Suarez, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Participants break out into small groups to debate priorities on impact-based forecasting. Madhad Uprety, Practical Action, Nepal; Brenda Lazarus, FAO; Helen Bye, Met Office, UK; and Ganjuur Sarantuya, National Agency for Meteorology and Environment Monitoring, Mongolia Petteri Talas, Secretary-General World Meteorological Organization (center) with participants from the Second Multi- Hazard Early Warning Conference