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UNGA Meeting Hears Countries’ Initial Views on SDG Summit Declaration - IISD
Permanent Representatives of Ireland and Qatar to the UN convened an informal meeting to hear delegates’ preliminary views on the scope and substance of the political declaration to be adopted by the 2023 SDG Summit in September. The co-facilitators also outlined their approach to the consultation process and timing of future meetings.
The meeting convened at UN Headquarters in New York, US, on 3 February 2023, as part of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar, characterized the Summit, which comes at the mid-point in SDG implementation, as an opportunity to take stock of progress made thus far and offer recommendations for transformative action going forward. When making interventions, she invited delegates to consider guiding questions when providing input on:
making the political declaration relevant, impactful, and a source of high-level political guidance;
elements to be included in the political declaration, while keeping it succinct, impactful, and easy to read, and ensuring it provides recommendations to advance the SDGs;
resources, inputs, and processes to draw from while formulating the political declaration; and
transformations necessary to improve implementation of the SDGs until the next SDG Summit in 2027.
Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland, noted that while the dates for the Summit are not yet fixed, it would be helpful to hold it early in the UNGA high-level week. He said the advance version of this year’s Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), to be released in March, will inform the Summit, as will the UN Secretary-General’s SDG progress report, forthcoming in mid-April.
Mythen said the co-facilitators will hold several informal consultations to achieve agreement on a draft declaration in June, so it could be presented to the UNGA President later that month. He said the co-facilitators would leave a placeholder to note main messages from the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), taking place under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July.
As per Mythen, at the end of February, the co-facilitators will issue an elements paper containing an outline, with no specific recommendations. On 2 March, a second informal consultation will be held.
In early April, the co-facilitators will propose a zero draft, to be followed by a third and fourth informal consultations, on 30 April and 16 May, respectively. Informal consultations to finalize the draft declaration are planned for 2 and 9 June. Mythen assured delegates the co-facilitators will also meet with stakeholders and major groups to ensure work is conducted in an inclusive and transparent manner.
Al-Thani emphasized the declaration should be: 1) inspirational, visionary, and ambitious; 2) action-oriented, with bold recommendations; and 3) give a sense of progress and gaps, identifying actions and commitments needed to overcome challenges.
Cuba, for the G-77/China, cautioned about the consultations overlapping with other negotiations, including the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum, and recommended the political declaration: send a political message on global commitment to the SDGs, with a view to eradicating poverty and hunger; highlight progress, challenges, and gaps; and propose transformative and comprehensive solutions to achieve the SDGs while addressing global inequalities.
The EU suggested the overall objective be to build on the example of the 2019 SDG Summit and to ensure specific and concrete commitments. He said the action-oriented declaration must not “revisit” the 2030 Agenda but focus on transformative change, be science-based, and reflect the urgency of meeting the SDGs in the face of multiple intersecting crises. He urged the declaration take into account the “geopolitical context,” emphasize inclusivity, and reflect the principles and cross-linkages of the 2030 Agenda, including human rights and policy coherence.
To accelerate SDG implementation, the EU recommended the declaration mention universal social protection, localization, and the engagement of all stakeholders. He recommended the declaration build on synergies with other processes, including COP 27, COP 15, and the Transforming Education Summit, as well as Our Common Agenda, and suggested the outcomes of the talks towards a high seas treaty, the LDC5 Conference, and the FfD Forum also be taken into account.
The French-Gabonese Co-Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to inform you that the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP20) of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will be held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 3-6 June 2024. If you wish to attend the 20th Meeting of Parties (MoP) of the CBFP and related events, please register before 05 May, 23:59, 2024 by completing the form below and clicking on the button “register”. It will not be possible to attend the meeting without a properly completed registration procedure.
The Facilitation of the French and Gabonese Republics is pleased to launch a call for proposals to host side events during the 20th Meeting of the Parties (MOP20) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 3-6 June 2024. In line with the themes of MOP20 of the CBFP, side events provide opportunities for information exchange, dialogue, cooperation and the creation of synergies between CBFP partners. Deadline for submissions: 19 April 2024. Applicants for selected proposals will be contacted on 30 April 2024.
The Central African Forests Commission (COMIFAC) is deeply saddened to announce the death of Mrs Sylvie Louisette NGO YEBEL Epse FOUNGA, Communications Expert of Cameroonian nationality, at the COMIFAC Executive Secretariat. She was murdered and her body found on Sunday 7 April 2024 at around 8.30 am in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The CBFP Youth Forum and Meeting of Parties will take place from 31 May to 5 June 2024 in Kinshasa and will bring together more than 700 stakeholders committed to preserving the forests of the Congo Basin. The Meeting of Parties and the Youth Forum will be co-chaired by Ambassador Christophe Guilhou (France) and Ambassador Flore Koumba Pambo (Gabon) and the current President of COMIFAC, His Excellency Mr Prosper Dodiko, with the participation of senior representatives of the DRC.
CIDT wishes to recruit an enthusiastic, people-centred international development professional to join our dynamic, multidisciplinary team. To be considered for this post you will have an understanding and experience of global sustainable development work and be prepared to work both in UK and overseas. You will be qualified to master’s level in one or more of the following core areas of our work: Global Sustainable /International development/ Development Studies, Development Effectiveness, Gender and Social Inclusion, Sustainable Livelihoods, Natural Resource Management, Forest Governance or Education and Development and have expertise in the related fields.
This brief note sets out the principle of an ecological bonus-malus mechanism, designed to change behaviour by modifying the relative prices of products, while aiming for budget neutrality (no tax losses for the State). It applies in particular to the agricultural and forestry sectors, but can also be applied to other areas. We are currently working with various colleagues on the timber and cocoa sectors, and on an automated simulator with a user-friendly interface that can be easily used by government departments and their partners who would like to test the tool and, if necessary, implement it.
The Co-Facilitation of France and Gabon of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) is pleased to announce the selection of COMIFAC by the CBD Secretariat as a centre for technical and scientific cooperation for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Global Framework for Biodiversity in Central Africa. With the highest score in Africa, COMIFAC ranks 4th in the world. The co-facilitation congratulates COMIFAC on this major distinction.
On Tuesday 12 March 2024, from 16:30-18:00 CET, the first dialogue between the College of Donors and the Scientific and Academic College (SAC) of the CBFP was held in virtual form. Over 70 people participated actively in the dialogue. The aim of the meeting was to promote cooperation as well as scientific and academic dialogue on the forests of the Congo Basin as part of the implementation of strategic priority 1 of the 2023-2025 roadmap of the CBFP.
Many countries have recently adopted bioenergy as part of a critical strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. Because of increased efficiency and lower production costs, along with legislative support and investment incentives, bioenergy use is swiftly becoming a renewable energy substitute for fossil fuels. The study provides a better understanding of bioenergy issues, potential and sustainability to inform countries in the global South and provide guidance on integrating bioenergy into their national energy plans by proposing a simplified sustainability framework for wood-based bioenergy.
A workshop was held in Brazzaville on Thursday 7 March to review the work carried out by the communications agency Afrique Environnement Plus, attended by a dozen participants, including companies from the sector. The new website for the Congolese forest-wood industry (which will shortly be the subject of a dedicated article) and a communication checklist developed as part of the ASP Congo project were presented.
As part of the ASP Congo project, a series of videos gives a voice to companies committed to responsible forestry practices.This video, produced with the financial support of the European Union, shows what forestry companies are doing to ensure the safety of their employees and to manage their waste properly through their HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) policy. In this way, they are driving forward an economy that respects people and ecosystems.
As part of the ASP-Green Pact project, supported by the European Union and led by ATIBT, we are pleased to invite you to participate in a survey on trade relations with Cameroon, with a response deadline set for April 4th. This initiative aims to refine our understanding of current trade relations between European importers and Cameroonian producers, with a particular focus on lesser-known timber species (LKTS) from Cameroon. Furthermore, this approach is part of the preparations for the International Wood Fair (CIB) to be held in Nantes, offering an exceptional platform for enriching exchanges and partnership opportunities.
The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2013. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. The theme for International Day of Forests 2024 is Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World. To mark International Forest Day 2024, several CBFP partners have organised special activities.
In honor of International Women’s Day, TOP AFRICA NEWS had the privilege of Interviewing Rwanda’s Minister of Environment on the important role of women in environmental conservation and sustainable development. Join us as we delve into the Minister’s insights and initiatives in empowering women to be leaders in protecting our planet for future generations.
Almost 90% of the world’s forest loss is driven by the expansion of agriculture, thanks to growing consumer demand for commodities like coffee, cocoa, beef, soy, palm oil and timber. Because of this, governments, businesses and NGOs are increasingly targeting action to reduce deforestation in this sector. Several markets are developing policies that prohibit the sale or importation of products grown on deforested land, while hundreds of consumer goods companies have made zero-deforestation pledges.
The institutions and training centres that are partners in the ADEFAC project are receiving support to better integrate continuing vocational training into their training routines.Following the initial organisational assessments carried out by andragogues consultants, the ADEFAC project's technical team took it upon itself to carry out organisational assessments of the vocational training institutions and/or technical teaching establishments that are partners in the project.
With 8 months to go before the European Union's new anti-deforestation regulation comes into force, where do we stand? What progress has been made, and what concerns and questions does the timber industry have at this stage?
WASHINGTON (March 18, 2024)—World Resources Institute is pleased to announce that Sharan Burrow, Visiting Professor, Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics; Johannes van de Ven, Managing Director, Good Energies and Board Chair, WRI Brasil; and Cecilia Martínez, Former Director, UN-Habitat and Board Chair WRI Mexico have joined its Global Board of Directors.
The ATIBT will be represented by Caroline Duhesme and Nathalie Bouville, as ATIBT correspondents in the United States. They will speak about EUDR and CITES issues and promote Cameroon's forestry and timber industry.
From 19 to 24 February 2024, the ATIBT organised a seminar in Brazzaville to support carpenter and cabinetmaker trainers in the production of wood finish modules. Twelve professionals from several towns in the Republic took part in this intensive, hands-on training course.
WASHINGTON (March 6, 2024) — Today the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized a rule that requires larger public U.S. companies to disclose risks that climate disasters pose to their businesses, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations or energy use if this information is financially material to investors. The draft rule released in 2022 had required some companies to also disclose emissions across their entire value chain, referred to as Scope 3 emissions, but that was not required in the final version.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024. Geneva. The Franco-Gabonese Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) organised a side event on cross-border transhumance at the14th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). At the era of climate change, access to water, agriculture, the fight against desertification, biodiversity, forest preservation and cross-border migration, transhumance is the cross-sectoral prime theme. This explains the central theme of the event: “Meeting Between the Sahel and northern equatorial Africa - The challenges of the nexus: cross-border transhumance, survival of protected areas, natural resources, and human lives, development, security and peace.”
Kinshasa, DRC, 13 February 2024: The Congo Basin Science Initiative has officially joined the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). The Basin Science Initiative is now one of 127 member countries and organizations working together in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership to promote sustainable resource management, combat climate change and its impacts, improve living conditions and protect the unique biodiversity of Central Africa’s tropical forest.
The strategic meeting between the Minister of Forest Economy, Rosalie MATONDO and Deliotte consultancy cabinet made way to research collaboration possibilities and share prospects on reforms needed to make forestry attractive.
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) shall hold from February 26th-March 1st at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya.
From 22 to 24 January 2024, a sub-regional workshop was held in Douala, Republic of Cameroon, to analyse the results of the 28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Her Excellency Dr Aurelie Flore Koumba Pambo, the Gabonese Co-Facilitator of the CBFP, participated in the workshop. Download the final communiqué of the meeting..
Ministers and representatives from governments, international organisations, and civil society will explore how multi-sector collaboration in the fight against nature crime can inform wider efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis during an official side event at the upcoming UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in Nairobi.
Financial crime analysts, industry experts and law enforcement officers from across Southern Africa assembled in Cape Town last week for the first in a new series of regional meetings aimed at tackling illicit financial flows associated with nature crime.
This article by Paul Scholte and Matthew Luizza in Conservation News looks at the progress and prospects for work on transhumance in Central Africa since the second international conference of ministers on transboundary transhumance of July 2023 in Yaoundé.
Gervais MBATA, the new Minister of Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing hosted at his Cabinet this February 7, the United States’ ambassador to Central Africa, Mrs Patricia MAHONEY. During this fruitful meeting between government members and American diplomats, several topics were discussed about cooperation reinforcement, the USA’s multiform support and especially the implementation of projects on the protection of CAR wildlife areas.
On 7 February 2024, Rosalie MATONDO, Minister for Forest Economy, welcomed Peter FEARNHEAD, Chief Executive Officer of the South African NGO African Parks Network (APN). The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the management and development of the Odzala-KMassif okoua Forest (MFOK), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The two parties also discussed the challenges of conserving protected areas.
This is the question posed by Development Advocates (GDA) in its new publication: Deforestation-free cocoa in Cameroon: questions, concerns and priorities from smallholder farmers. The document sets out the challenges Cameroon faces in doubling its domestic cocoa production, retaining access to its biggest market (the EU) and reducing the pressure on its forests. Please download the GDA publication...
Pollution is widespread – and often fatal.Dirty air alone is responsible for 6.7 million deaths globally every year, while conservative estimates suggest that in 2019, 5.5 million people died from heart disease linked to lead exposure. To stem the pollution crisis, countries agreed in 2022 to establish a new body that would provide policymakers with robust, independent information on chemicals, waste and pollution.
The Climate Chance Europe 2024 Wallonia Summit "Adaption to climate change, Nature-based Solutions and Resilience" was held at the Palais des Congrès in Liège on 8 and 9 February 2024. Over two days, the Summit brought together nearly 1,000 participants of more than 20 nationalities, from numerous European networks and organisations of non-state actors such as businesses, researchers, civil society and local governments.
As the world’s top decision-making body on the environment, UNEA-6 will bring together ministers, intergovernmental organizations, the broader UN system, civil society groups, the scientific community and private sector to shape global environmental policy. This year, we’re expecting more than 70 Ministers and 3,000 delegates to join us in Nairobi. We currently have 20 draft resolutions and two draft decisions submitted for countries to discuss. Ms. Ochalik will share more on this. I will talk about the wider context of UNEA-6, and what it means.
