Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

ILLUSTRATIVE GLOBAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ON ENERGY 1. Proposed Targets and Timeframes increase access to energy, with a view to providing modern affordable energy services to half of the two billion people who currently do not have access to them by 2015; and diversify energy supply by developing cleaner and more efficient fossil fuel technologies, advanced energy technologies and decentralised energy systems achieving a target of 5% of total primary energy use with renewable energy resources by 2010. 2. Proposed Actions (a) Actions to promote access to energy launch a global energy access fund; redirect energy funds in international financial institutions to support a global energy access fund; redirect export credit agency-supported energy investment toward access and infrastructure projects; ensure that energy sector ODA for the poorest countries will include a focus on access programmes; support targeted capacity building in the

Dear David, As always your blog is an interesting read. This time from a cafe in Apex North Carolina. As someone who also blogs I recognize that not everything can be put in to it that would create the fuller picture. I do enjoy the historical references and you are absolutely right about the lost ten years where economic policy has been like a vacant lot in the street of policies :-) Saying that its not as if there  hasn't  been someone in the party who could and at times has been able to profoundly comment on the financial problems and that has been Vince.  On the leadership the problem with Liberals is at times we are just too nice. But leadership in the party is also about recognizing when the present leader has to go. We hasn't lead us well on economics (a disaster by Liberal terms), on education we broke a promise he made to everyone on tuition fees which the party has never recovered from, he has taken the party to the right on green issues like nuclear power. The

For all those Dr Who fans who have been patiently waiting for the first episode of the new Dr Who with Peter Capaldi playing Dr Who the wait is nearly over. The BBC have announced that the first episode of the new Dr Who will screen in August. We understand that there will be a new companion to join the Dr and Clara another teacher from her school Coal Hill - Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson). For those less award of Who history Coal Hill School was where the first Dr picked his first companions from in 1963 - Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. I  am sure the link with the school will become clearer in the next series. There is  a great fan trailer just put out which is definitely worth watching. Infact Dr Who should consider signing the director to do an episode. Actor Nabil Shaban, an old friend of mine, is to reprise his role as the popular Doctor Who alien Sil in a brand-new adventure of the science-fiction drama,  this will be a  an audio adventure from Big Finish —  Antid

Dear NGO Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the Registration for the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, which will take place in New York from 27 to 29 August of this year, is now open. Please use the link provided below to access the registration area. REGISTRATION As in previous years, the registration process is conducted through the CSO Net, hence you will need to use your CSO Net username and password to register. ALL DPI-Associated and ECOSOC Consultative Status Organizations have a profile in the CSO Net. Registration will close on 13 August 2014. Please register as soon as possible, especially if you are travelling from abroad and need a VISA. We look forward to seeing you in New York. Best, NGO Relations Team Department of Public Information United Nations Headquarters in New York http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations        

This is THE event for stakeholders to attend if they are engaged in the 2015 process on the Sustainable Development Goals or the climate change process. Following the release of the reports of the Open Working Group and the Experts Committee on SD Financing this summer, we invite you to prepare for the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference on "2015 and Beyond: Our Action Agenda" taking place at UN HQ (NY), 27-29 August 2014 . The Conference will provide an opportunity for civil society, international networks and activists to develop an “Action Agenda” to mobilize messaging, advocacy strategies, partnerships and accountability frameworks in the lead up to the start of the intergovernmental negotiations at the beginning of the 69th session of the General Assembly for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, due to culminate at a Summit in September 2015. The Conference will also be an important milestone ahead of the Secretary-General’s September 2014 Climate Summit

I was working on rural-urban linkages SDG issues when the latest IISD Sustainable Development Update arrived in my inbox. I couldn't resist in opening the email and now find myself writing a short blog as it had an  update on the  Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESD) . I was looking forward to at least reading the zero draft of the committee's report by now but a search of the ICESD web site found no such document - infact it didn't even have a co-chairs summary of either the third or fourth meetings of the committee. It seems that the zero draft is available but not on the web site, an annotated document will be released on the 22nd of June but its unclear who to. With comments in for the 6th of July by governments? What I did find out is that it seems according to IISD that it: "has reached agreement regarding a structure to mobilize all financial sources – international, domestic, private and public – using the Mo

Monday, May 26, 2014 4:00 –6:00 pm One UN Hotel New York -One United Nations Plaza, New York, 10017 –3575 United States The UN General Assembly  has decided to convene the third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Habitat III) in 2016 to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urbanisation focusing on the implementation of a – New Urban Agenda.  This conference will build on the Habitat Agenda and the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits, particularly the Rio+20 conference, as well as the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2013, Cities Alliance Members have set up a Joint Work Programme that aims at preparing inputs to the Habitat III Conferences while discussing priorities and messages key to the Post 2015 Agenda. This policy dialogue aims at fostering discussion among the partners of Cities Alliance at the invitation of the Global Taskforce members.   The

If you are interested in more discussion on the issue of controlling the corporations more which I raised in the last blog. Ralph takes the issue up as a space for the right and left to come together. At the bottom of the blog posting is a  radio interview with Ralph. Ralph Nader has fought for over fifty years on behalf of American citizens against the reckless influence of corporations and their government patrons on our society. Now he ramps up the fight and makes a persuasive case that Americans are not powerless. In  Unstoppable , he explores the emerging political alignment of the Left and the Right against converging corporate-government tyranny. Large segments from the progressive, conservative, and libertarian political camps find themselves aligned in opposition to the destruction of civil liberties, the economically draining corporate welfare state, the relentless perpetuation of America’s wars, sovereignty-shredding trade agreements, and the unpunished crimes of Wall

Introduction First, I have to say it is  very disappointing that the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing (ICESDF) is again meeting in secret. So as we wait for the zero draft report to come out I thought I would make some suggestions for what I would hope would be in it.  Before I go into that, let me take you back on a journey about financing sustainable development. The Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing  was formed as an output of the Rio+20 Conference. “ The Future We Want” recognized the need for significant mobilization of resources and the effective use of financing, in order to give strong support to developing countries in their efforts to promote sustainable development. This includes thorough actions undertaken in accordance with United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and for achieving sustainable development goals. The ICESDF committee (comprising 30 experts nominated

As I reflect in the middle of the 11th meeting of the SDG OWG on what should be the direction from here I find myself thinking it might be better to be slower rather than faster. As we expect the zero draft out for Friday. Let me explain my thinking a little bit more. Focus Areas First: We arrived at this OWG meeting with the Focus areas reduced from 19 to 16 with the combination of a number i mentioned in my previous blog. "New Focus area 8: Economic growth, employment and infrastructure  – is a combination of  old Focus area 8  – Economic growth,  old Focus area 10  on Infrastructure and  old Focus are 11  on Employment and decent work for all. The  New  Focus area 9: Industrialization and promoting equality among nations  – is a combination of  old Focus area 9  Industrialization and  old Focus area 12  on promoting equality." What became clear is that some  leading  countries were not yet ready to combine areas and felt that the combination created an imbalance

I had the pleasure of attending the UNDESA/DSD Expert Workshop last week on the High Level Political Forum (HLPF). What struck me was the need to ensure that the follow on process for implementing and monitoring the post 2015 development goals is needed to be discussed now so that those systems are put in place. I nternational level The HLPF should be the home for the review of the implementation of the post 2015 development goals. To support developing country implementation a capacity building process similar to that which was set up in 1993 by UNDP and known as Capacity 21 could be imagined. This could be called Capacity 2030 and could this time be coordinated jointly by UNDP and the World Bank with the support of other UN and other intergovernmental bodies. At the UN the follow up to the goals will have to be through some cooperative process within the UN. The follow up for Agenda 21 was through a Task Manager approach  this is where different chapters of Agenda 21 were a

Programme for May 1st was: Ms. Afaf Konja (Moderator) -Remarks by H.E. Mr. Román Oyarzun Marchesi Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations -Remarks by H.E. Mr. Antonio de Aguiar Patriota Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations -Remarks by H.E. Mr. Joseph Goddard Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations -Remarks by H.E. Mrs. Yanerit Morgan Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations -Message of appreciation on behalf of authors Mr. Jorge Laguna-Celis questions answered by co-authors Felix Dodds and Liz Thompson. Jorge Laguna-Celis (co-author) Brazilian Ambassador Patriota Yamina (UN Habitat), Valerie (Monaco)  Marco (UNV) and Katie Ambassador Isabelle F. Picco (Monaco) Spanish, Brazilian Ambassadors and Liz Thompson (co-author) Thanks to all those who attended a great ev