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Heads of State and Government and their entourages took over the conference venue on the second day of the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference. With their presence, leaders aimed to signal sustained momentum on climate action. In parallel, intergovernmental negotiations got up to speed. Discussions on some agenda items, such as those related to cooperative approaches under the Paris Agreement (Article 6.2), drew such crowds that they surpassed room capacity.
Please download the Document here below:
Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit
Opening Ceremony: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi highlighted the Climate Implementation Summit’s theme, “together for implementation.” He said parties must deliver practical roadmaps that clarify how they plan to reduce emissions, prioritizing the needs of developing countries, particularly in Africa. He called for the unnecessary war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine to stop.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres cautioned that the war in Ukraine is no reason to backslide on climate action. He called for: all G20 countries to accelerate the transition to renewables; a climate solidarity pact, especially between developed countries and emerging economies, with leadership by the US and China; taxing windfall profits of fossil fuel companies; and universal early warning system coverage within five years. “Cooperate or perish,” he warned, adding that “failure to deliver on climate is a collective suicide pact.”
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, called for collaborative efforts on climate action, fostering innovation and economic diversification. He stated that his country will remain a supplier of oil and gas for as long as the world needs it, and is promoting investments and partnerships for sustainable economic and social development.
Macky Sall, President of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union, lamented that current levels of adaptation finance do not meet Africa’s needs, as set out in countries’ NDCs. He urged developed countries to honor their commitments, including the USD 100 billion goal, stressing that “those who pollute more have to pay more.”
Minouche Shafik, Director, London School of Economics, called for a green industrial revolution, concessional finance, and tripling lending for clean energy. She said carbon markets should be a source of income for carbon sink-rich countries.
Leah Namugerwa, a youth climate activist, queried whether, for world leaders, justice means to “choose profits over lives,” and warned they will be remembered as doing “a lot of nothing while in power.”
Al Gore, former US Vice-President, urged ending fossil fuel colonialism, reforming the World Bank, and unlocking access to private capital to meet the USD 4.5 trillion of climate finance needed annually.
Veronika Eyring, University of Bremen, emphasized science clearly shows that “we are not on track” and urged promoting nature-based solutions that help restore ecosystem services and preserve societies.
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, questioned the lack of progress towards keeping in line with 1.5°C and lamented the lack of clean technology transfer, noting that “the world today does not seem very different from when it was an imperialistic empire.” She underscored the importance of concessional funding and called for reforming the Bretton Woods system.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell asked leaders to: ensure consistency between the visions expressed in their high-level statements and their delegations’ positions in the negotiations; convene their cabinet ministers to strengthen domestic climate plans and step up implementation; and reflect the urgency of the climate crisis in all their work.
Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, speaking on behalf of multilateral development banks (MDBs), underscored that MDBs will step up support for countries and cities to engage in the net-zero transformation and place special emphasis on nature-based solutions to leverage the climate and biodiversity linkages.
Statements from leaders: President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso said reforesting the planet is one of the most relevant solutions available and noted his country has one of the lowest levels of deforestation in the world. He called for establishing a decade of reforestation.
Noting that refugees and their hosts are among the most vulnerable to climate change, King of Jordan Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein described his country’s Climate Refugee Nexus Initiative, which will prioritize support for host countries that bear the brunt of climate change, and invited other countries to endorse this initiative.
Noting that Africa is spending up to 9 percent of its gross domestic product on tackling climate change, President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba called for financing for adaptation and just transitions, and said his country has absorbed close to 1.5 Gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere since COP 15 in 2009.
Wavel John Charles Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, underscored his country’s mangroves and seagrass beds not only “clean up” domestic emissions but also those of the rest of the world. Pointing to the multidimensional vulnerability index, he urged provision of concessional financing.
Klaus-Werner Iohannis, President of Romania, underscored the importance of education and research for promoting the skills needed for a low-carbon economy and highlighted adaptation as key to ensuring resilient food production and power generation amid increasing droughts.
Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania, highlighted his country’s success in increasing renewable energy production, including for green hydrogen, calling for partnerships to support these efforts.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed understanding of vulnerable countries’ frustration and outlined ways to “move the needle,” including through: joint energy partnerships with emerging economies; setting up a framework for similar partnerships with biodiversity-rich countries to support the protection of ecosystems that store high amounts of carbon; and ensuring MDBs respond to the needs of vulnerable countries.
Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania, shared lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and noted that science has shown a correlation between economic and environmental prosperity. She underscored her country’s challenges in raising funds to implement the necessary measures to fight climate change, and highlighted conservation measures such as tree planting and forest preservation.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid lamented that violence and war are halting development in his country. He said Iraq’s main challenge is the water crisis, noting that Mesopotamia used to have many floods but is now water scarce.
Zuzana Čaputová, President of Slovakia, reflected on how “we talked about the why and how” for too long, stressing that “now is the time to act.” She criticized short-sighted solutions, reminding that a green transition is neither easy nor cheap, and stressed that “we need to transform our collective fragility into our collective resilience.”
Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic, underscored that rich countries and top polluters are “the ones most to blame for endangering humanity,” urging those countries to financially support poorer countries’ climate action.
Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique, said a fair energy transition must be gradual and reduce negative impacts on economic development. He said Mozambique will continue using its own natural resources, including gas, in the medium term.
Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati, lamented that “major solutions remain distant because we are at the mercy of multilateral agencies who continue to determine how we adapt.” He nonetheless recognized that hope remains, and called for data, capacity building, technology transfer, and country-specific scientific projections to make adaptation planning more effective.
Kenyan President William Ruto, for the African Group, urged directing investments to Africa to leverage its clean energy potential and shared plans for a continental climate action summit in 2023 focused on sustainable economic transformation and green growth. Calling carbon credits “Kenya’s next significant export,” he urged developing carbon markets that help communities, not intermediaries.
Observing 1.5°C is out of reach without increased efforts from the G20, which account for 80% of global emissions, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said COP 27 must launch a major work programme on mitigation and ask each country to submit a clear timeframe to divest from fossil fuels.
King of Tonga Tupou VI lamented the recent volcanic eruption in his country, noting it highlighted the need for desalination technologies to convert seawater into drinking water, and underscored the need for affordable climate-friendly transportation.
Latvian President Egils Levits urged speeding up the renewable energy transition to ensure greater energy security and mitigate climate change. He outlined Latvia’s goal to be climate-neutral by 2050, and the targets of two Latvian cities to be among the first 100 climate-neutral European cities by 2030.
Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, proposed a “decalogue” comprising, inter alia: recognizing that markets created the problem and cannot be the main solution; the International Monetary Fund starting a debt swap programme for investment and adaptation in developing countries; and preserving the “pillars of the planet,” such as the Amazon. He said his country will devote USD 200 million annually for 20 years towards saving the Amazon.
Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia, said climate adaptation remains a top priority, urging progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation at COP 27. Pointing to the country’s limited resources, he underscored that Zambia will continue to do what it can to fight climate change and called for placing collective action above individual interests.
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti, highlighted that climate change impacts are a risk to public health and water infrastructure. He called for the recognition of the special needs and circumstances of Africa and urged developed countries to deliver on their USD 100 billion annual commitment.
Leaders’ statements continued into the evening and will resume on Tuesday, 8 November.
COP
Matters Relating to Finance: Guidance to the Green Climate Fund: Guidance to the Global Environment Facility: The joint contact group, co-chaired by Toru Sugio (Japan) and Richard Muyungi (Tanzania), heard views on developing draft COP decision texts on guidance to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF).
On GCF guidance, parties highlighted, inter alia: informing the GCF’s second replenishment; encouraging all potential contributors to engage; avoiding “micromanaging” the GCF Board; focusing on barriers and challenges; and improving representation of small island developing states.
On GEF guidance, parties mentioned, among others, the GEF replenishment and programming strategies.
Views diverged on whether draft guidance prepared by the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) could be used as the basis for the draft text, with South Africa, for the AFRICAN GROUP, and Antigua and Barbuda, for the ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND STATES (AOSIS), opposing, noting that they had not been able to submit views on the guidance. Some suggested parties are welcome to take paragraphs from the guidance and submit these as their own. Parties agreed to invite submissions by noon on 9 November.
Review of the Financial Mechanism: Co-Chairs Kelly Sharp (Canada) and Ricardo Marshall (Barbados) opened the contact group meeting, recalling that parties had not been able to reach agreement at COP 26 to launch the seventh review of the Financial Mechanism. They clarified that the group’s mandate at this session is to adopt the guidelines for, and launch, the review.
The US noted her country’s request for a CMA agenda item on the review of the Financial Mechanism and ongoing presidency consultations on this issue. She said pending the outcome of the consultations, the US will undertake discussions on the basis that the CMA has a role in the Mechanism review. Several countries and country groups, including JAPAN, the EU, CANADA, the UK, and Costa Rica, for the INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (AILAC), agreed that the CMA should have a role in the review of the Mechanism. South Africa, for the AFRICAN GROUP, supported by Saudi Arabia, for the LIKE-MINDED GROUP OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (LMDCs), Uganda, for the LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES (LDCs), and BRAZIL opposed this approach, preferring to wait for the outcome of the presidency consultations and focusing in the meantime on the review of the Financial Mechanism under the COP. Several parties also supported using the draft text from COP 26 as the basis of discussions, while the AFRICAN GROUP noted that, as the item was placed on the COP 27 agenda under Rule 16 of the draft Rules of Procedure, the draft COP 26 text cannot be forwarded to COP 27.
The Co-Chairs invited parties’ submissions on expectations and elements that should be captured in the guidelines for the review.
COP/CMA
Matters Relating to Finance: Matters relating to the Standing Committee on Finance: In informal consultations, co-facilitators Dominique Molloy (UK) and Janine Felson (Belize) introduced the documents under consideration, including the SCF report, the Fifth Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance Flows, and documents on definitions of climate finance, information relevant to Paris Agreement Article 2.1(c) (on consistency of finance flows), and progress on the USD 100 billion goal. Reminding that COP 27 and CMA 4 are expected to review the functions of the SCF, they invited parties’ views.
Many parties requested sufficient time to reflect on the various documents at this session.
On the Biennial Assessment, they highlighted, inter alia, low shares of grants, need for coherence in reporting methodologies by providers, and that less than 1% of financing is channeled through funds governed by the UNFCCC.
On climate finance definitions, views diverged on whether further work is required by the SCF and the need for a political-level discussion, with developed countries saying definitions should reflect the bottom-up spirit of the Paris Agreement and many developing countries calling for a common definition.
Several developing country groups said their views were inadequately reflected in the Article 2.1(c) mapping, while other groups and parties lamented that this issue had not been included as an agenda item. Many countries called for a political-level discussion.
On the USD 100 billion goal, developing countries stressed the target remains unmet, calling for annual progress reports to be issued through 2027.
Discussions will continue in informal party consultations.
Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)
Matters Relating to the Adaptation Fund: Fourth review of the Adaptation Fund: In informal consultations, co-facilitators Diann Black-Layne (Antigua and Barbuda) and Eva Schreuder (Netherlands) invited parties to share expectations on elements for a draft CMP decision concluding the fourth review of the Adaptation Fund.
Many emphasized the uniqueness and importance of the Fund for developing countries, including its emphasis on grants and country drivenness, and agreed the Fund is working well.
A number of developing countries and groups lamented that a large share of pledges remain outstanding and developing countries’ adaptation finance needs are not being met. They called for referencing the Glasgow Climate Pact “pledge” to at least double the provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025 (Decision 1/CMA.3, paragraph 18). Many stressed the Adaptation Fund is the appropriate vehicle for channeling these resources.
Noting that certified emission reductions (CERs) have not been a significant source of revenue for the Fund and voluntary contributions lead to unpredictability, developing countries and groups called for a multi-year replenishment. Countries also highlighted, inter alia, further improving direct access, results-based finance, and the Fund’s environmental and social policy.
Parties mandated the co-facilitators to prepare draft text for the next consultations based on inputs received and further submissions made by 8 November.
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA)
Rules, Modalities, and Procedures for the Paris Agreement Article 6.4 Mechanism: In informal consultations, co-facilitated by Katherine Hancock (Australia) and Sonam Tashi (Bhutan), parties agreed to use the SBSTA Chair’s informal document (SBSTA57/A6.4/InfDoc) as the basis for discussions. Parties considered the processes for implementing the use of CERs towards first or first updated NDCs. On text stating that parties should follow the guidance on using internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) when they use CERs to achieve their NDCs, several parties underlined that CERs are not ITMOs and called for labeling to make this clear. On text stating the Article 6.4 mechanism registry may continue to receive CER transfers from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) registry until the CMA decides otherwise, some parties preferred deleting this provision or including an end date for accepting transfers.
Parties also discussed reporting by host parties on their Article 6.4 activities and Article 6.4 emission reductions. They considered reporting options, with some stressing that Article 6.4 reporting must be separate from, and additional to, Article 6.2 reporting. Others opposed, pointing to an additional reporting burden on developing countries, and suggested that reports submitted under Article 6.4 can be used to meet Article 6.2 reporting requirements if and when emission reductions are authorized as ITMOs.
Subsidiary Bodies
Matters relating to the Santiago Network under the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage Associated with Climate Change Impacts: Informal consultations were co-facilitated by Cornelia Jäger (Austria) and Lucas di Pietro (Argentina). Participants shared their views on elements to address, inter alia: terms of reference of the Santiago Network; criteria for selecting its Secretariat; the role and composition of its Advisory Board; and the role of loss and damage contact points. A developing country group called for swiftly moving to textual work to avoid having to resort to last-minute compromises.
Report of the Adaptation Committee: Co-Facilitators Pilar Bueno (Argentina) and Morgane Chiocchia (UK) outlined two sub-items for consideration: report of the Adaptation Committee (FCCC/SB/2022/5, Add.1 and Add.2); and review of the Committee’s progress, effectiveness, and performance.
On the Adaptation Committee’s report, parties highlighted the need to: enhance engagement with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); update methodologies and tools to assess adaptation needs; and revamp the adaptation knowledge portal. They also noted the report should be revised to reflect parties’ agreement on common timeframes for NDCs.
On the review of the Adaptation Committee, parties noted the need to increase visibility of the Committee’s work, improve engagement with stakeholders and the IPCC, and enhance focus on NAPs. Some called for separate decisions for each sub-item, and for separate COP and CMA decisions, observing the CMA has no mandate to undertake the review.
Matters Relating to the Work Programme for Urgently Scaling up Mitigation Ambition and Implementation: In informal consultations, co-facilitated by Carlos Fuller (Belize) and Kay Harrison (New Zealand), discussions focused on the scope and content of the work programme. Several parties said the work programme should be a space for sharing lessons learned and knowledge on the implementation of countries’ NDCs. Others supported also considering ways to enhance mitigation ambition, noting the group’s mandate includes “scaling up mitigation ambition and implementation.” One group said the work programme should facilitate a “race to the top” where parties commit to higher mitigation targets, and one developing country said it should support closing the ambition gap for achieving 1.5°C.
On modalities, parties suggested: thematic workshops held in conjunction with the SBs in 2023; regional workshops; or an annual ministerial roundtable on pre-2030 ambition. On timelines, one party proposed a two-year work programme starting at SB 58 and ending in CMA 6, and continuing in two-year cycles until 2030.
In the Corridors
The second day of the conference opened with an impressive line-up of more than 100 Heads of State and Government arriving for the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit. As a sign of times, the recurrent theme of the day, however, was the discrepancy between pledges and their implementation. “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator,” alerted UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the opening of the Summit. “Implementation is not good speech material,” one delegate quipped. “Very laudable,” said another seasoned delegate about UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell’s determination to hold leaders accountable, “but we have yet to see the spirit of the grand speeches infuse into the actual negotiations.” Announcements of new action, usually a common feature of high-level statements, were also few and far between.
The presence of world leaders at the venue was also tangibly felt as intergovernmental negotiations on a large number of items launched work in the afternoon. Negotiators in multiple rooms seemed caught in a Goldilocks-esque predicament of their negotiating rooms being either too small, too cold, or too noisy. Some negotiations, such as Article 6, had to be postponed as many parties were unable to find seats and observers were left queuing outside. “I can’t believe I came to Egypt to watch a webcast” shared a frustrated observer, “especially seeing how patchy the wifi connection is.”
The Climate Chance Summit Africa 2023 will bring together on the 23rd, 24th and 2th of October 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Yaounde 1,500 African actors from the "climate community": high-level personalities, experts, actors in the field, representatives of local governments, businesses and organised civil society.
Celebrations for World Environment Day 2023 kicked off in host-country Cote d’Ivoire, as millions of people prepare for similar activities across the world. Venues across the capital city, Abidjan – from its historic lagoon to its first modern art museum - shone the spotlight on this year’s theme #Beat Plastic Pollution.
Congo Basin Carbon brings together information on various research and education projects in the Yangambi and Luki MAB Reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Through this website we hope to strengthen research networks and improve project visibility, specifically for carbon research. Tropical rainforests such as the forests of the Congo Basin comprise nearly half of the world’s vegetation carbon. Intact tropical forests represent a carbon sink at a level that is higher than other vegetation types. The issues of carbon stocks, sinks and sources in tropical forests are therefore a central topic in international policy debates on climate changes.
At last year’s United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), 141 leaders committed to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation by 2030. Forests, particularly tropical ones, are known to play a crucial role in removing carbon from the atmosphere, partially offsetting the effect of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a highly valuable service to the global climate, meaning the world should be willing to pay to ensure it happens. In this policy note, we look at just how valuable that service is, and put that in the context of aid efforts to protect forests.
During the process of photosynthesis, trees naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Rainforests act as important 'carbon sinks' stemming global heating. The Congo rainforest is the planet’s most important “lung,” new data has revealed. The world’s rainforests absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide, slowing down global warming.
The world is getting a better understanding of just how important forests are in the global fight against climate change. New research, published in Nature Climate Change and available on Global Forest Watch, found that the world’s forests sequestered about twice as much carbon dioxide as they emitted between 2001 and 2019. In other words, forests provide a “carbon sink” that absorbs a net 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 per year, 1.5 times more carbon than the United States emits annually.
This brief describes the first efforts to integrate agroforestry with charcoal production in the Yangambi tropical forest landscape. Activities resulted in both increased food crop production and reforestation, as well as the establishment of producer-led local associations and greater collaboration between communities and local authorities.
The GEF Secretariat prepared this document to summarize the GEF’s potential role in a financial mechanism for the internationally legally binding instrument under negotiation under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The document is prepared to help inform deliberations. It also includes questions and answers to key issues raised thus far by countries. GEF’s role as Convention Financial Mechanism: The GEF serves as a/the financial mechanism for five Conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Minamata Convention on Mercury, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Chemicals, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
On May 8, 2023, in the BOUN'S Hotel conference, in Yaoundé, a workshop was held to launch the process of drawing up the Cameroon Country Investment Plan (CIP) on the nexus of transboundary transhumance, protected areas, peace and security, and development. Please download the final communiqué of the workshop...
Geneva and Yaoundé, 26 May 2023. The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Land Planning of Cameroon (MINEPAT) and CAFI are launching two Calls for Expressions of Interest today to all relevant implementing organisations concerned, representing a maximum of 60 million US$.
WWF is supporting the Government of Cameroon in her effort to restore more than 12 million hectares of degraded landscapes in the country. In 2017, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife committed, on behalf of the Government of Cameroon, to restore 12,062,768 ha of degraded landscapes under AFR100 and the Bonn Challenge by 2030. Of these, 80% are in the three northern regions of Adamaoua, North and Far North; with the remainder in the high plateau, Centre region, vast forest and coastal areas (Mangroves).
As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting transparent and accountable governance of climate and environmental funds, we are pleased to invite you to two upcoming online sessions. These sessions will offer valuable insights, strategies, and best practices for combating corruption, and reinforce our collective efforts to create a more sustainable future. We hope you will join us for these important discussions.
International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated each year on 22 May, is an opportunity to not only acknowledge the crucial role healthy biodiversity plays in the survival of the planet but also to assess the nature crisis. With the theme ‘From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity,’ this year’s Day follows the historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 196 nations at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Montreal, Canada, in December 2022.
Bukavu, May 10, 2023 – The Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB) is deeply saddened to announce the death of its ecoguard Alain Lukinga, born in Kakongya on June 12, 1989, who sacrificed his life for the protection of the PNKB in an armed clash in Cibumbiro between the villages of Kajeje and Lukananda in the Mudaka groupement, in Kabare territory in South Kivu.
From April 19 to 20, 2023 a workshop for the development of a national investment plan for Nigeria on transhumance and related topics was held in Abuja, NIGERIA. This workshop, funded by the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) Facilitation of the Federal Republic of Germany, aimed to...
The SWM Programme is the first international initiative to tackle the wild meat challenge by addressing both wildlife conservation and food security. It is an initiative from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD).
In a bid to boost indigenous people and local communities’ (IPLC) engagement in wildlife protection around Lobéké National Park in Southeast Cameroon, Lobéké Management has signed social pacts with 34 Bantu and Baka communities in the Park. Thirty-four social pacts were signed between the communities and the Lobeke Management in December 2022, with each pact corresponding to a community project worth FCFA 300,000.
This report highlights the impacts of direct as well as indirect deforestation through mining. It presents for the first time ever the deforestation embodied in the consumption of products and showcases the extensive deforestation potential that artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) can have on forest ecosystems.
A new toll road in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province is under construction to improve access to the interior of Borneo, including to the nation’s new capital city, Nusantara. Construction of the road, however, poses immediate environmental risks, as the route cuts through a forested area with high conservation value that connects the Sungai Wain protected forest, coastal mangroves, and Balikpapan Bay. Prior to road construction, the integrated forest and coastal ecosystem supported populations of orangutans, sun bears, proboscis monkeys and Irrawaddy dolphins. Conservationists say the construction of this toll road belies the Indonesian government’s claims that the development of the new capital will be green and sustainable.
The tobacco industry causes a fifth of Zimbabwe’s forest loss. What is being done to minimise this? At the beginning of this century, the Zimbabwean government embarked on an audacious land reform programme, ostensibly to correct the injustices suffered by local people when the land was colonised. The controversial programme saw an estimated 170,000 black Zimbabwean families – mostly small-scale farmers – taking over agricultural production from about 3,000 white-owned farms.
SAN MARTÍN, Peru (AP) — The Cordillera Azul National Park on the eastern flank of the Peruvian Andes takes in a sweep of Amazon rainforest, mountains and waterfalls in a territory about the size of Connecticut, so precious that tens of millions of dollars in carbon credits have been sold in a program that supporters said would protect its trees.
To fight climate change and biodiversity loss, the new law obliges companies to ensure products sold in the EU have not led to deforestation and forest degradation. While no country or commodity will be banned, companies will only be allowed to sell products in the EU if the supplier of the product has issued a so-called “due diligence” statement confirming that the product does not come from deforested land or has led to forest degradation, including of irreplaceable primary forests, after 31 December 2020.
A number of reports have found that an Indonesian government program to establish large-scale agricultural plantations across the country has led to deforestation. More than 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of forests, including carbon-rich peatlands, have been cleared in Central Kalimantan province for the so-called food estate program, according to a spatial analysis by the NGO Pantau Gambut. Last year, the NGO Kaoem Telapak detected 100 hectares (250 acres) of deforestation in food estate areas in North Sumatra. Villagers whose lands have been included in the program have also reported an increase in the severity of floods since their forests were cleared to make way for the food estates.
Press release 3 May 2023 | The German government will make two billion euros available for the Green Climate Fund (GCF). German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the commitment at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin today. This makes Germany the first major donor to announce its contribution for the upcoming pledging conference for the Green Climate Fund. The conference will take place in Bonn on 5 October and will be chaired by Development Minister Svenja Schulze. The Green Climate Fund is one of the largest climate action funds of the world. The creation of the fund was an important objective of the developing countries, which have an equal say in how funds are spent on climate mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries.
With GEF and LDCF support, Nespresso, IUCN, and TechnoServe are working together to promote more sustainable and resilient coffee farming practices in South Kivu. Antoinette Shabanyere’s 1,800-tree coffee farm in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the forefront of efforts by local communities to adapt to climate change.
The Second Consultation Meeting (CM-2) for GCF’s second replenishment (GCF-2) was held on 27-28 April. Hosted by GCF and moderated by Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the replenishment facilitator, the two-day virtual meeting convened over 100 current and prospective contributors where they received updates on GCF and discussed matters related to the replenishment process.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Country Representative, Suze Percy-Filippini is impressed with the progress made by the department of Forestry in the implementation of the Forest Farm Facility –FFF Program in the Choma District of Southern Province.
This case study forms part of a series of six case studies on mobilizing internal finance within Forest and Farm Producer Organization (FFPOs) prepared by forest and farm FFPOs for the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF). It describes the Jwa Ngwaane Community Cooperative Credit Union, established by the Kassena Nankana Baobab Cooperative Union (KANBAOCU) through the mobilization of 96 Village Savings and Loans Associations.
The African Regional Exchange, a three-day workshop co-organized with CIFOR-ICRAF, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute and the Kenya Forest Service, brought together farmers, bankers, governments, and development partners from across Africa to discuss ways to ensure smallholder farmers have access to the finance they need to improve and scale up sustainable forest and farm management practices.
This agrobiodiversity case study (No.6) from Zambia is the sixth of six case studies prepared by forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) for the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF). It describes the actions of the Choma District Tree Nursery and Growers Association (CDTNA). CDTNA represents 111 members, either individual nursery growers or collective enterprises that furnish diverse tree seedlings for forest and agroforestry restoration projects across Southern Zambia.
Oyéoussi Charles Balogoun is the Africa Representative of the NGO Panel under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Civil Society Panel (CSO Panel) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) represents nearly 500 organisations accredited to the Convention. Charles Balogoun is also the Global President and Chairman of the Board of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Afrique Espérance. He answers ENVIRONNEMENTALES’s questions on the state of desertification in Africa.
A common vision of sustainable finance is being developed in Central Africa. The project is at the heart of an international forum scheduled for 8 and 9 May 2023 in Douala, Cameroon, under the theme « Trajectories towards sustainable finance ». An initiative of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC), in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN).
Delegates to the Sixth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development emphasized the need for forward-looking, high-impact initiatives involving all relevant actors, to enable the structural transformations Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) needs to “resume and sustain the path to 2030.”
Kenya loses 2–2.4 percent of its gross domestic product annually due to the effects of climate change, such as drought and floods according to according to a 2018 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics study. Droughts alone cost the country 8 percent of GDP every five years. Arid and semi-arid rangelands (ASALs) occupy over 80 percent of Kenya’s landscape, and are home to about 36 percent of the total human population, and seventy per cent of the nation’s livestock and 90% of wildlife. Livestock's contributions account for 80 percent of household incomes in arid lands, and 65 percent in semi-arid lands.
Sitting at the forefront of the climate crisis, forest and farm producer organizations (FFPOs) have a vital role in supporting smallholder resilience and attaining climate change and biodiversity goals. Together, their members have a transformative potential to achieve sustainable development and respond to climate change at scale.