ENB UPDATE

Monday, 30 September 2019

UN Summits Week

Inside the halls of the UN and outside on the streets of not only New York, but cities around the world where protests were held, the verdict of the people was clear: leaders are failing to address the environmental and development emergency that the world is currently facing. Read

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As heads of state and government, and ministers, gathered to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, frustration at the slow pace of progress, despite exponentially rising threats, was clearly evident. Participants discussed progress, gaps, and challenges; and priorities, solutions, and the way forward. Read

Securing our Future in the Blue Pacific

This event highlighted the launch of the Kiribati Joint Implementation Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management 2019-2028 and featured voices of youth from Pacific islands who presented on programs aimed at securing their future. Read

Thursday, 26 September 2019

High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development

The High-level Dialogue, the first such dialogue since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) in July 2015, took place at UN Headquarters in New York. Addressing the opening session, Bill Gates, businessperson and philanthropist, called for realism about the gaps that private financing can, and cannot, fill. While calling for more equitable tax collection systems and effective spending, he called on governments to “protect aid.” Read

The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) has some alarming messages in its assessment of the latest scientific knowledge about the physical science basis for, and impacts of, climate change on ocean, coastal, polar, and mountain ecosystems, and the human communities that depend on them. It also evaluates their vulnerabilities and adaptation capacity, as well as options for achieving climate-resilient development pathways. Read

SDG Summit

On the second and final day of the SDG Summit, five further “leaders dialogues” were held. During the closing plenary, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the Summit represented a renewal of the commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda. Read

Data for Now – Accelerating Progress Through Timely Data

The Data for Now Initiative aims to support collaboration and partnership for the sustainable use of robust methods and tools that improve the timeliness, coverage, and quality of SDG data. Read

Launch of the Global Hub on SDG Governance 

Speakers discussed experiences and tools that they could share through the initiative, which seeks to tackle the specific governance challenges of SDG implementation. Read

Transformative Water Actions to Accelerate Global Achievement of Climate Change-related Goals 

Participants considered the need for sustainable management and development of water resources to assist societies in adapting to climate change. Read

Planetary Health Dialogue

Speakers at this event considered the linkages between environment and health, and ways in which the two sectors can collaborate to advance sustainable development. Read

IPCC-51

The Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) was approved Tuesday. The SROCC SPM has three sections: observed changes and impacts; projected changes and risks; and implementing responses to ocean and cryosphere change. Read

SDG Summit

On the first day of the SDG Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a global call for a decade of action to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, and a “fireside chat” on the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report took place. Read

IPCC-51

On Monday, the second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups (WGs) I and II continued consideration of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Oceans and Climate Change (SROCC). Delegates met in morning, afternoon, evening and night sessions to discuss the SPM text and figures line-by-line. Informal huddles and convened throughout the day to discuss more difficult issues. Read

Climate Action Summit

At the conclusion of the Climate Action Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that 77 countries, 10 regions and 100 cities committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Read

Side Events

Essence for Successful Actions towards Achieving the SDGs

Speakers discussed the guiding principles for SDG implementation in Japan as well as the SDG implementation experiences of Canada and Germany. Read

On Sunday, the second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups (WGs) I and II continued consideration of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Oceans and Climate Change (SROCC). Delegates met in morning, afternoon, evening and night sessions to discuss specific paragraphs in sections on, among others, observed changes and impacts and projected changes and risks. They also addressed relevant figures in the text. Informal huddles convened throughout the day to discuss more difficult issues. Read

High-Level Assembly of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce Short-lived Climate Pollutants

CCAC members adopted a “2030 Vision Statement” that commits Coalition members to drive and respond to scientific and political progress to achieve a stabilized climate and drastically reduce air pollution. Read

The high-level event on the energy transition track of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit highlighted new financial commitments. Read

Participants took stock of progress and challenges to date in meeting the goals of the 2014 NYDF, while highlighting innovative areas of action. Read

UNCCD COP 14

The Conference of the Parties ended on a note of optimism that there is a growing alignment of the land, climate, and biodiversity agendas, and, with its sharpened focus on land restoration, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification can offer cost-effective and sustainable solutions to some of the most entrenched global challenges today.
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UNCCD COP 14

Negotiations have been fraught behind closed doors, but nearly all texts are finalized as delegates head into the final day.

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UNCCD COP 14

Civil society leaders shared success stories from the front lines of land restoration. They asked for greater inclusion, even as negotiating delays have set up a sprint to the finish line on outstanding issues.
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UNCCD COP 14

Delegates are worried about final outcomes from the conference even as atypical speakers – a mystic, musician, activist and priest – expanded on the value of protecting land.
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Monday, 9 September 2019

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made new commitments to scale up land restoration locally and internationally as ministers and senior environmental leaders converged on Delhi. 
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Friday, 6 September 2019

Daily Reports

UNCCD COP 14

Governments aired concerns that land tenure recommendations could infringe their sovereignty. Meanwhile, the Committee on Science and Technology finished their work “creating a bridge between science and policy decisions.” Read

UNCCD COP 14

Despite being politically charged, land tenure saw the official agenda for the first time thanks to civil society advocacy. Read

Praise for scientific reports continued, even as some countries sought clarity on a proposed framework to measure drought. Drafting groups set to work, bracing themselves for expected sticking points. Read

UNCCD COP 14

Delegates offered ways to leverage recent scientific studies on sustainable land use, even as contact groups began work to finalize the meeting’s 30 decision texts. Read

Pointing to growing political momentum around sustainable land use and a cascade of scientific reports linking land use, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaders launched the day with high ambitions. Read

UNCCD COP 14

Discussions begin Monday on strategies and actions needed to accelerate achievement of the Convention’s goals by 2030, including people-centered land management policies; drought preparedness, management, and response; actions to accelerate land restoration and resilience; the role of science in enhancing actions on the ground; and enhanced commitments to accelerate achievement of the land-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read

Summary Reports

Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)

Delegates delved, for the first time, into textual negotiations on the basis of a “zero draft” containing treaty text developed by Conference President Rena Lee (Singapore). Deliberations were productive but there is still much work to be done with the fourth and final mandated session scheduled for March 2020. Read

Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework

The adopted conclusions of the meeting include agreement on: a non-paper on possible elements of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF); the dates of and venue of the second and third meetings of the Working Group, to be held in February 2020 in China and in July 2020 in Colombia; and a zero draft text of GBF will be provided six weeks before the February 2020 meeting. Read