Small Island Developing States

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

Highlights for Tuesday, 11 June 2019 Participants view a slide from the presentation by the Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), showing the “Shawn the Sheep” slug, which helped frame the discussions on the STAP Chair's presentation on science. Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, opened the 56th meeting of the GEF Council, highlighting that the GEF’s 2020 strategy has shifted focus from treating the symptoms of environmental degradation to addressing its causes and drivers. The GEF Secretariat presented the work program, the largest ever proposed, amounting to USD 865.9 million in projects and programs, including four Impact Programs covering food systems and land use, Amazon forests, Congo basin forests, and dryland landscapes. After seeking a number of clarifications and offering comments about specific elements and projects, the Council approved the work program, which will benefit 91 recipient countries, including 30 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and 32 small island developing States (SIDS). It was agreed that a request from many Members for greater transparency regarding the selection of lead agencies and project countries for Impact Programs would be dealt with in a separate decision on Wednesday. Council Members heard a report from the STAP Chair, highlighting, inter alia, recent scientific reports, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment of the State of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the UN Environment Programme Sixth Global Environmental Outlook, and what they mean for the GEF, criteria for GEF Impact Programs, and ways to achieve more enduring outcomes from GEF investments. In ensuing discussion, numerous interventions focused on definitions of durability versus sustainability and on how to incorporate STAP’s recent work, particularly on climate risk screening, into project design under the new work program. Delegates also discussed further work on the sustainability of GEF projects and programs. Council Members considered a draft updated monitoring policy, focusing on: the need to align now-separate monitoring and evaluation policies; the respective roles of Operational Focal Points and recipient countries; “achieved” versus “expected” results; deadlines for starting to use the new policy and related templates and guidelines; activities to be covered by the new policy; and civil society organization (CSO) involvement. Delegates further considered a report on the Working Group on the GEF Partnership. They agreed that further work is needed on implementation modalities associated with the concentration of GEF resources across Agencies and the previously-agreed 30% ceiling on the GEF’s share of Agencies’ portfolios, and requested that the Working Group present recommendations to the Council at a future date. Finally, Council Members took note of the GEF business plan, and approved the corporate budget for the fiscal year 2020 from the GEF Trust Fund of USD 29.273 million.In the afternoon, Ishii and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation between the GEF and UNCCD. 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. A view of the opening session of the 56th meeting of the GEF Council Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson Carola Van Rijnsoever, Council Member, the Netherlands, was elected Co-Chair of the 56th GEF Council Meeting. Council members raise their flags. Comlon Awougnon, Alternate Council Member, Togo Zhongjing Wang, Council Member, China Jozef Buys, Council Member, Belgium Aparna Subramani, Council Member, India Martha Cuba, Council Member, Peru Peter Elder, Council Member, Australia Particpants from the GEF-CSO Network Peter Lallas, GEF Secretariat Françoise Clottes, GEF Secretariat Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair of GEF-CSO Network Elizabeth Lien, Council Member, US L-R: Praveen Prasad Desabatla and Tapiwa Sikipa, World Bank A view of the plenary session from the dais Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair Kordula Melhart, Council Member, Germany Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat Stefan Schwager, Council Member, Switzerland A view of the presentation on the 2019 work program Lauren Céline Naville Gisnås, Council Member, Norway Dan Bakoye Chaibou, Council Member, Niger L-R: Gustavo Fonseca and Claude Gascon, GEF Secretariat Antonio Micha, Alternate Council Member, Equatorial Guinea Yoshiko Motoyama, Alternate Council Member, Japan L-R: Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and William Ehlers, GEF Secretariat L-R: Sana Taktak Keskes, Regional Focal Point for North Africa, CSO Network; Akhteruzzaman Sano, Interim Chair, GEF-CSO Network; and Linghui He, Toxics-Free China Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD, sign a Memorandum of Understanding.