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At the midway point of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP 26) where do negotiations stand?
Highlights and images for 13 December 2022
Rio Conventions Pavilion at COP 15
Sessions were organized to examine the relevant global frameworks, processes, and stakeholders necessary to address ecosystem restoration, which speakers underlined will not only solve climate change and biodiversity loss challenges but contribute to sustained economic growth.
Highlights and images for 24 September 2019
Investing in Climate Change Adaptation Action through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) – Dialogue and Pledging Session
Participants highlighted the importance of investing in climate change adaptation action in LDCs, which are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and yet the least able to adapt. The event also kick-started the year of action on adaptation, spearheaded by the Global Commission on Adaptation. The event was co-hosted by the Government of Germany, the LDC Group, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Aparna Subramani, Executive Director of the World Bank representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka, and Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
Highlights
Three donors announced new LDCF contributions totalling EUR 130 million.
Speakers noted the Global Commission on Adaptation highlighted the LDCF as a financial mechanism that works and should be well placed to help LDCs implement the adaptation “revolutions” recommended by the Commission.
Opening
Maria Flachsbarth, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, highlighted the Global Commission’s message that adaptation can produce significant economic returns and smart growth. She then announced a German pledge of EUR 50 million to the LDCF.
Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi (Bhutan), Chair, LDC Group, said that the LDCF is the only multilateral fund fully dedicated to climate change in LDCs. “It is our fund,” he said, and noted that the LDC Group was involved in formulating the new LDCF Strategy and expressed satisfaction with its implementation.
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, GEF, underscored the Commission report's recommendations for adaptation revolutions and welcomed feedback on whether the new LDCF Strategy is having positive impact.
Panel: Empowering Communities and Livelihoods/Agriculture and Food Security
Fekadu Beyene, Commissioner for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia, discussed how the LDCF has helped Ethiopia in building climate resilience in agriculture.
Bounkham Vorachit, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Lao PDR, discussed the LDCF’s contribution to building robust Laotian adaptation institutions and planning for rural areas.
Panel: Climate Resilient Development in SIDS/Early Warning and Planning
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vanuatu, emphasized how the LDCF has helped the country prepare and respond to natural disasters during the past 11 years.
Quite Djata, Secretary of State of Environment and Biodiversity, Guinea-Bissau, underscored the “crucial role” that the LDCF played in helping her country strengthen resilience, adaptation capacity, and early warning systems.
Johannes Oljelund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden, announced a multiannual contribution to the LDCF of EUR 50 million.
Observing that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not achievable without stepping up action on adaptation, Carola van Rijnsoever, Ambassador for Sustainable Development, Netherlands, announced that the country would make an additional EUR 20 million contribution to the LDCF.
Christopher MacLennan, Global Affairs Canada, said that his Prime Minister had announced an additional payment to LDCF of USD 7.5 million.
Nick Bridge, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK, said his Prime Minister just announced a doubling of its contribution to climate finance over five years, with its LDCF allocation yet to be worked out.
Noting that LDCF had helped his country considerably on planning and priority setting, Abdou Karim Sall, Minister of Environment, Senegal, said about USD 2.9 million more was needed from international donors to address specific issues that had been identified.
Martin Frick, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), observed that the Global Commission report and the new LDCF pledges send important political signals to the upcoming UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) set to take place in Chile.
Closing
Moderator Mary Robinson, Chair, The Elders, noted that the Global Commission called the LDCF “a model of something that works” and urged continued support for the Fund.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Felipe Ruiz
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Maria Flachsbarth, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
L-R: Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat; Quite Djata, Secretary of State of Environment and Biodiversity, Guinea-Bissau; Johannes Oljelund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; and Carola van Rijnsoever, Ambassador for Sustainable Development, Netherlands
Fekadu Beyene, Commissioner for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia
Moderator Mary Robinson, Chair, The Elders
L-R: Moderator Mary Robinson, Chair, The Elders; Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vanuatu; Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Secretariat; Quite Djata, Secretary of State of Environment and Biodiversity, Guinea-Bissau; Johannes Oljelund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; Carola van Rijnsoever, Ambassador for Sustainable Development, Netherlands; Christopher MacLennan, Global Affairs Canada; and Nick Bridge, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK
CONTACT
Christian Hofer | chofer@thegef.org
MORE INFORMATION
https://www.thegef.org/topics/climate-change-adaptation
http://www.ldc-climate.org/
Highlights and images for 27 September 2019
Securing our Future in the Blue Pacific
Presented by the Permanent Missions of Kiribati and Marshall Islands to the UN, and the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, the event highlighted Kiribati and Marshall Islands’ ongoing efforts to address climate change, as well as commitments to accelerating actions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the SAMOA Pathway. The meeting also featured voices of youth from the two countries, who presented ongoing projects, programs, and initiatives aimed at securing their future.
Above photo: Team Kiribati with Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati
Taneti Maamau, President, Kiribati, announced the launch of the Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management 2019-2028.
John M. Silk, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marshall Islands, highlighted this week’s launch of the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership by Fiji, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, which aims to reduce Pacific shipping’s CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030.
Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary-General, Pacific Islands Forum, noted the creation of a Pacific Resilience Facility aimed at helping communities cope with the impact of climate change.
Opening the event, Teburoro Tito, Permanent Representative of Kiribati to the UN, spoke about how Kiribati’s fragile ecosystems are increasingly damaged and destroyed by climate change. He welcomed Kiribati’s youth and invited them to express their needs and plans.
Taneti Maamau, President, Kiribati, highlighted the importance of building partnerships that help address the common challenges that the region is facing. He noted that Kiribati is implementing its climate change-related plans through a coordinated national strategy and has recently launched the Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management 2019-2028 (KJIP). He further presented measures for rejuvenating Kiribati’s tuna stocks and fisheries.
The goal of the KJIP, he said, is to increase resilience to climate change and disaster risks using a “whole-of-country” approach by focusing on mainstreaming and coordination across sectors and scales of governance. He explained that the KJIP identifies 12 strategies and associated priority climate change and disaster risk management actions for the next nine years (2019-2028) based on existing policies and strategies. Ultimately, he noted, the KJIP aims to uphold and safeguard Kiribati’s unique culture, heritage, and identity through enhanced resilience and sustainable development. He concluded by underlining that Kiribati “is not sinking, but fighting.” Between 2017 and 2019, the KJIP was reviewed and revised with the support of the NAP Global Network’s U.S. In-Country Support Program for Kiribati.
John M. Silk, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marshall Islands, said the Marshall Islands and Ireland are spearheading the Kwon-Gesh Climate Pledge to include young people in climate action policy creation and invited all governments to join the initiative. He noted that small island states are on the frontlines of climate change and quoted Jason Momoa, saying that “when the frontline is gone, we are doomed.” He noted that the Marshall Islands is facing “the devastating loss” of its home because of sea-level rise and called on all countries to reduce CO2 emissions and become carbon-neutral by 2050.
Silk said that the Marshall Islands was the first and only country that submitted an updated, more ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC) at the Climate Vulnerable Forum in 2018. He said that the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership, launched during the 2019 Climate Week by Fiji, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, aims to reduce Pacific shipping’s CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030.
Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary-General, Pacific Islands Forum, stressed that climate change is the greatest security threat that islands are facing, which is both an environmental and human security threat and has an enormous geopolitical impact in terms of governments’ priorities. She said Pacific islands need more financial and capacity building support from partners, particularly to build data capacity for both assessing the islands’ challenges and ensuring accountability for donors’ support. She noted the creation of a Pacific Resilience Facility aimed at helping communities cope with the impact of climate change, adding that the UN Secretary-General will support a pledging conference for the Pacific Resilience Facility as USD 1.5 billion are needed for the first five years.
Selina Neirok Leem, youth representative from the Marshall Islands, said youth are creating three types of camps for youth: science; arts and climate change; and leadership. The camps will help youth to connect, brainstorm, and strategize on actions that youth could take to address the effects of climate change on the islands. The arts camps are meant to help youth cope with the trauma caused by the impact of climate change on their homes and communities, she noted.
Aberaam Tata, youth representative from Kiribati, said young people in Kiribati aspire to a peaceful, safe, and healthy future on the island, and to be empowered in a sustainable way to take action and build the lives they need. He stressed that climate change is a huge threat not only to the country, but to the culture of Kiribati. He noted that youth’s civic engagement in Kiribati is focused on building young people’s capacity to make a difference in the fight against climate change. In a video, other youth from Kiribati urged global leaders to help them keep their countries and homes from disappearing by curbing global CO2 emissions.
Pacula Jesary Kilifi, Miss Kiribati 2019, presented her efforts to serve as a national role model for Kiribati’s children and youth by promoting environmentally-responsible behaviors and organizing nature cleanups.
In the ensuing discussion, Norway highlighted that even though the ocean sets us apart, the ocean also binds us together, and thus there is a need to create coalitions to protect it. He mentioned Norway’s efforts to change the rules of development cooperation by changing the rules of graduation from least developed country (LDC) status so that countries prone to natural disasters no longer risk losing access to concessional financing. Ireland presented its new international development policy, which puts climate finance at the core and will support small islands. Australia expressed readiness to partner with small islands states to assist them with their challenges.
Kiribati highlighted that small island states have only 8 years left in which a global reduction of CO2 emissions could save their livelihoods. Tuvalu emphasized that international powers are competing for the marine protein sources of islanders, which are already dwindling because of climate change. He called on countries that are candidates for the UN Security Council to recognize climate change as a security issue and to appoint a Special Envoy for Climate Change and Security.
Canada said it contributes USD 2.6 billion to developing countries to fight climate change and expressed Canada’s readiness to work with the Pacific region to help it tackle climate change. New Zealand highlighted its work on ensuring strong baselines for maritime zones under the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), so they are protected and remain maritime zones. US presented its work on solid waste management to limit marine debris, as well as its knowledge-sharing initiatives aimed at promoting best practices in solid management among other large economies, so they can limit their marine debris as well.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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Pacula Jesary Kilifi, Miss Kiribati 2019, welcomes participants with traditional leis from Kiribati.
Tearinaki Tanielu, Kiribati, Co-moderator
Choi Yeeting, Kiribati, Co-moderator
Teburoro Tito, Permanent Representative of Kiribati to the UN
Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati
Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary-General, Pacific Islands Forum
John M. Silk, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marshall Islands
Video presentation on Kiribati
Aberaam Tata, youth representative from Kiribati
Selina Neirok Leem, youth representative from Marshall Islands
Pacula Jesary Kilifi, Miss Kiribati 2019
Video messages from Kiribati youth
Cáit Moran, Special Envoy to the Pacific, Ireland
Victoria Hallum, New Zealand
Sandra Oudkirk, US
Tina Stege, Climate Envoy, Marshall Islands
Mario Bot, Canada
Michael Lodge, Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority
Odd-Inge Kvalheim, Norway
Deborah Manase, Marshall Islands
Nigel Bruce, Australia
Ian Fry, Climate Ambassador, Tuvalu
Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, receives a gift from Yi Ling Li, UCT International Culture Development Inc.
CONTACT
Christian Ledwell | cledwell@iisd.ca
MORE INFORMATION
https://www.unwater.org/transformative-water-actions-to-accelerate-global-achievement-of-climate-change-related-goals/
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The Environmental Negotiation Leaps of 2022
Never in the history of humanity has the world faced so many environmental threats. Climate change is now called a climate emergency. We are losing biodiversity at an alarming rate. Our oceans are being choked with plastic, and we continue to produce toxic chemicals that are harmful to humans and wildlife. For millions of people, access to fresh water and sanitation is a growing challenge. The basic human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights are at risk. As Article 3 of the Declaration states: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Sadly, too many lives are being lost because of our profligate abuse of the natural environment.
Highlights and images for 22 September 2019
NYDF 5-Year Anniversary and Leadership Event
This event sought to take stock of progress and challenges to date in meeting the goals of the 2014 NYDF, highlight innovative areas of action, and foster a high-ambition multi-stakeholder collaborative process committed to increasing action to 2020 and beyond. The event was organized by the Global Platform for the NYDF and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Germany.
Tashka Yawanawa, an indigenous participant from the Amazon
Highlights
The NYDF goals are not on track, but are still valid and require greater and more concerted efforts , with more multi-stakeholder partnerships.
There are isolated success stories that should be promoted and learned from.
Transformational change is needed, addressing both institutional and market failures.
Transforming commodity chains is slower and more difficult than originally envisioned.
Event Summary: Opening Remarks
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister for Environment and Energy, Costa Rica, said progress in reversing deforestation will never be achieved both institutional failures and market failures are not addressed.
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, BMU, noted that while Norway, Germany, and the UK are on-track for meeting their financial pledge under the Declaration, it is not enough and other governments, financial institutions, and the private sector need to join in and coordinate efforts to bring in more finance, address supply chain practices, and promote sound policies in line with the Paris Agreement.
Progress to Date and Unmet Commitments
Andrew Steer, President & CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI), said while the 5-year NYDF assessment report indicates goals are not on track to be met, it just means there is more work to be done. He urged improving productivity on current non-forested lands, improving governance including incentives, and converting low-yielding land back into forests.
Charlotte Streck, Co-Founder and Director, Climate Focus, characterized the essential messages of the NYDF Assessment Report 2019 as the need for: systemic change, to stop working in silos, to start working more as a community, and to seek transformative shifts in land use.
Jamison Ervin, UN Development Programme (UNDP), offered eight insights from the first-ever NYDF Endorser Perspectives Report capturing more than 80 endorser perspectives on why goals are not being met and what conditions are supporting progress, including: creating deforestation-free commodity chains is difficult and slow because it involves systemic change; strong governance at local levels is an important precondition; individual leaders make a difference; commitments rely on multi-stakeholder partnerships; clarify and resolve land-tenure rights, especially in indigenous territories is an important precondition; negative financial investments work against deforestation efforts; and while nature-based solutions yield societal benefits, many of these are not yet recognized.
Setting the Stage: Commitments to End Deforestation
Frans Timmermans, First Vice President, European Commission, outlined proposals for a major EU initiative on deforestation with five elements: increasing consumption of deforestation-free products; making EU development policy deforestation-free; strengthening international cooperation to halt deforestation and promote restoration; redirecting financial flows so money supports sustainable land use practices; and improving access to information on forests and supply chains.
Turning Commitments into Action Globally: A Ministerial Roundtable
Haoliang Xu, UNDP, emphasized that: future development will be limited not by financial or human resources, but rather planetary resources. He said incentives must be revised to get meaningful change to commodity chains.
Zac Goldsmith, Minister of State for Environment and International Development, UK, observed that there are many notable efforts underway, but “they are islands of brilliance in an ocean of mediocrity.” He said the Prime Minister will announce a major new initiative at the UN that emphasizes nature-based solutions.
Maria Flachsbarth, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, emphasized: addressing commodity chains; bringing indigenous people in forest regions onboard; and protecting not just the Amazon, but also the Congo Basin and Indonesia.
Lee White, Minister for Forests, Sea, the Environment, and Climate Plan, Gabon, on behalf of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), explained CAFI and the importance of protecting the Congo Basin forests. He noted that Gabon and Norway would sign an agreement on REDD+ that among other things, raises the per ton price of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) avoided from USD 5 to USD 10.
Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, stressed that the NYDF is not misguided, only that more needs to be done. She called for 10 actions: more governance reform by forest-rich countries; scaled up results in REDD+ finance; serious support to forest-rich countries to avoid deforestation; adaptation of strategies to realities of forest deforestation dynamics; empowerment of indigenous peoples; greater ambition and accountability in commodity supply chains; financial markets taking deforestation risks seriously; greater transparency; assessment of domestic footprints; and change in diets.
Lucía Delfina Ruíz Ostoic, Minister of the Environment, Peru, outlined her country's efforts to integrate forestry policy across sectors, governance levels, and among stakeholders, while addressing transparency, accountability, land tenure, the role of indigenous communities, and illegal activities impacting forestry.
Donatienne Hissard, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France, emphasized France’s commitment to NYDF and CAFI, and outlined its new strategy to end deforestation through tackling supply chains, including dialogues with producer countries, use of levers such as public procurement restrictions, and promotion of consumer awareness and due diligence by financers.
Victor Kabengele Wa Kalidu, National REDD+ Coordinator, Democratic Republic of the Congo, discussed a new national platform bringing together six ministries with civil society, technology partners, and others to address drivers of deforestation.
Changing the Way We Do Business: Increasing Impact of Supply Chains
Peter Freedman, Consumers Good Forum (CGF), explained the CGF has learned two key lessons: sourcing sustainably through certification is necessary but not sufficient because it does not encourage transformational collaboration across the entire supply chain; and the CGF governance was flawed because the pledge adoption did not force companies to adopt individual commitments, so CGF is now emphasizing "coalitions to action" and real time reporting on meeting commitments.
Christine Montenegro McGrath, Mondelez International, said her company's experience in taking a lead role on palm oil demonstrates the need to look beyond certification of its own supply chain, to including things such as human rights policies and promotion of indigenous land titles, and to apply a system-wide approach. Perpetua George, Wilmar International, said that while there are successes to report in palm oil, the issue is complex and full success will not come until everyone in the chain is committed, silos are broken, and carbon prices come closer to covering lost opportunity costs.
Mauricio Voivodic, CEO, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – Brazil, mentioned several successes in Brazil, including the soy moratorium, and the formation of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture which includes many important agribusiness leaders, and the recent initiative launched on stopping deforestation in the Cerrado.
Shifting from Gray to Green: Mobilizing Finance
Frances Seymour, Board Chair of Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART), explained ART is producing a standard on REDD+ transactions that will be Paris Agreement compliant which it hopes will be rewarded by a higher carbon price for those certified as standard compliant.
Karin Kemper, World Bank, outlined Bank goals, initiatives and programs, including efforts to address the linkage between addressing forest degradation, poverty and biodiversity protection and efforts to contribute to policy dialogue on valuation of natural capital.
Deb Markowitz, Vice President of Initiatives and Campaigns, Ceres, said that 230 investment managers representing USD 16 trillion in managed capital in 30 different countries signed a letter urging companies to take action on deforestation across their supply chains.
Local Action: Subnational Action to Tackle Deforestation
Tuntiak Katan, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA), stressed the importance of countries acknowledging indigenous land rights, protecting prior and informed consent, valuing traditional knowledge, respecting the governance structure of indigenous peoples, coordinating projects through indigenous organizations, and ensuring climate financing reaches the communities on the ground.
Waldez Góes, Governor, Amapá, Brazil, discussed a consortium of the nine Brazilian states banded together to coordinate strategies to combat Amazonian deforestation and interact with the international community.
Wilson Lima, Governor, Amazonas, Brazil, and Chair, Governors Climate and Forest Task Force (GCFTF), urged those demanding protection of the Amazon forests look at how to address poverty, lack of infrastructure, and the need for clean water among those living in those forests.
Mauro Mendes, Governor, Mato Grosso, Brazil, stressed sustainable development will protect forests, and suggested his state has a higher level of production in animal and plant proteins with a higher level of forest preservation than does the US.
Gladson Cameli, Governor, Acre, Brazil, emphasized the commitment of Amazonian governors to fighting illegal activities affecting forests, to combatting deforestation, and protecting the Amazon.
Luis Hidalgo Okimura, Governor, Madre de Dios, Peru, noted Madre de Dios is “the capital of Peruvian biodiversity,” it signed the NYDF and it remains committed to stopping illegal activities, forest fires, and unsustainable use of Amazonian forest biodiversity.
Rafael Robles de Benito, Secretariat of Ecology and Environment, Quintana Roo, Mexico, urged greater use of traditional knowledge, revising current legal frameworks governing agricultural practices, and promoting restoration of mangroves and including them in the carbon count.
Closing Remarks: The Power of Interfaith Collaboration
Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches (WCC), discussed the launch of the Faith for Forests Initiative to promote understanding of the moral and spiritual dimension of fighting deforestation.
Sônia Guajajara, Executive Coordinator, Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB), welcomed the interfaith initiative and all other support for indigenous communities, and urged the international community to pressure Brazil to keep to its Paris Agreement commitments. She closed by saying we cannot simply trust in technology to combat deforestation, we need to reconnect with Mother Nature and fight for Mother Earth.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the Side (ENBOTS) meeting coverage, provided web coverage from the NYDF 5-Year Anniversary and Leadership Event.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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John Ehrmann, Senior Partner, Meridian Institute, opened the event.
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister for Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Andrew Steer, President & CEO, World Resources Institute
Charlotte Streck, Co-Founder and Director, Climate Focus
Jamison Ervin, Manager, Nature for Development, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Frans Timmermans, First Vice President of the European Commission
A view of the “Turning Commitments into Action Globally: A Ministerial Roundtable” panel moderated by Frances Seymour, Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART)
L-R: Frances Seymour, ART; Zac Goldsmith, Minister of State for Environment and International Development, UK; and Maria Flachsbarth, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
L-R: Lee White, Minister for Forests, Sea, the Environment, and Climate Plan, Gabon, and on behalf of the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI); Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway; and Lucía Delfina Ruíz Ostoic, Minister of the Environment, Peru
L-R: Donatienne Hissard, Director for Sustainable Development for the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France; Victor Kabengele Wa Kalidu, National REDD+ Coordinator, Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Hoaliang Xu, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator, and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP
L-R: Lee White, Minister for Forests, Sea, the Environment, and Climate Plan, Gabon, and Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, signing a Memorandum of Understanding
L-R: Panel on “Changing the Way We Do Business: Increasing Impact of Supply Chains” with Justin Adams, Director, Tropical Forest Alliance; Peter Freedman, Managing Director, Consumers Good Forum; Christine Montenegro McGrath, Vice President and Chief of Global Impact, Mondelez International; Perpetua George, General Manager of Sustainability, Wilmar International; and Mauricio Voivodic, CEO, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – Brazil
L-R: Dais from the “Shifting from Gray to Green: Mobilizing Finance” panel with Nigel Purvis, Founding President and CEO, Climate Advisers; Frances Seymour, ART; Karin Kemper, Global Director of Environment, Natural Resources, and Blue Economy Global Practice, World Bank; and Deb Markowitz, Vice President of Initiatives and Campaigns, Ceres
L-R: Susan Gardner, Director of Ecosystems Division, UN Environment, moderated the panel on “Local Action: Subnational Leadership to Tackle Deforestation,” with Tuntiak Katan, Vice Coordinator,Vice Coordinator, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA)
L-R: Wilson Lima, Governor of Amazonas, Brazil; Waldez Góes, Governor of Amapá, Brazil; and Luis Hidalgo Okimura, Governor of Madre de Dios, Peru
L-R: Mauro Mendes, Governor of Mato Grosso, Brazil; Rafael Robles de Benito, Director of Climate Change, Secretary of Ecology and Environment, Quintana Roo, Mexico; and Gladson Cameli, Governor of Acre, Brazil
Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary World Council of Churches (WCC)
Sônia Guajajara, Executive Coordinator, APIB
CONTACT
Tobias Cabani | Tobias.Cabani.Extern@bmu.bund.de
MORE INFORMATION
https://nydfglobalplatform.org/
https://www.interfaithrainforest.org/
https://forestdeclaration.org/images/uploads/resource/2019NYDFReport.pdf
Highlights and images for 22 September 2019
11th High Level Assembly of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC)
Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate, and Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister of the Environment, Japan, show their commitment to the CCAC.
The 11th High-Level Assembly (HLA) of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants (CCAC), convened to discuss climate and clean air action needed on the ground and their ambition for further implementation.
On air pollution and health, speakers stressed the loss of lives and economic costs due to poor air quality, and how this can be a lever for enhanced and fast climate action. They also discussed progress in monitoring air quality and addressing SLCPs, and the need to evaluate the benefits of climate change action through a wellbeing lens.
On cooling and efficiency, ministers reported on investments in efficient and climate-friendly refrigeration and cooling, highlighting the rising demand for cooling caused by climate change and growing cities. They drew attention to the Biarritz Pledge initiated at the G7 Summit and its call for support of the CCAC’s Efficient Cooling Initiative.
On agriculture and food systems, participants reported on efforts to reduce methane and black carbon emissions, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness on agriculture climate solutions that balance the need for ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. They also noted the importance of healthy, low carbon diets and of reducing food waste.
Taking stock of the CCAC’s work launched at the 2014 UN Climate Summit, representatives from the private sector described integrated solutions to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas industry. They highlighting private sector efforts to reduce climate and air pollutant emissions from freight. and called on countries to join a ‘Global Methane Alliance.’
In the closing session, participants adopted the 2030 Vision Statement committing members to “drive and respond to scientific and political progress to maintain an atmosphere that enables people and the planet to thrive – a stabilized climate with warming limited to 1.5 C and drastically reduced air pollution.”
Members agreed to add this statement to the CCAC Framework Document and to extend the duration of the Coalition’s mandate until the end of 2030. Several members pledged additional financial support to the Coalition’s work. The United Arab Emirates was welcomed as the CCAC’s newest CCAC state partner. The 11th meeting of the CCAC HLA took place in New York, US, on 22 September 2019 on the eve of the UN Climate Action Summit. The HLA was attended by high-level representatives of governments and international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Opening
Delegates gather for the 11th High Level Assembly of the CCAC.
Chair Manuel Sager, Switzerland
Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission
Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board, State of California
Joseph Séka Seka, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Côte d'Ivoire
Delegates applaud the work done by the CCAC.
How the Coalition is Increasing Ambition and Will Scale-Up Towards 2030
Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute (WRI), facilitates a series of panel sessions on: air pollution and health; cooling and eficiency; agriculture and food systems; and integrated solutions and transitions.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)
Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
Patricia Fuller, Climate Ambassador, Canada
Vincent Biruta, Minister of Environment, Rwanda
Aupito William Sio, Minister for Pacific Peoples, New Zealand
Patrick Pouyanne, CEO, Total
André Weidenhaupt, Luxembourg
Pledges, Launching New Work, Plans, and the Coalition’s “2030 Vision”
Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China, delivers a keynote address to launch the UNEP-CCAC-Tsinghua Report.
Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP
Jane Burston, Executive Director, Clean Air Fund
Marcel Beukeboom, Climate Envoy, the Netherlands
Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Finland
Pledges made during the meeting.
Closing
Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, Poland, and Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate
Family photo of the high level participants.