Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Susanne Salz  wrote this article in her private capacity. The article does not necessarily reflect the views of Partnerships2030 or GIZ. Susanne and the whole Partnerships2030 team is happy to advise and discuss on all issues around multi-stakeholder partnerships for the 2030 Agenda, as well as providing links to (resources by) experienced practitioners and experts. If humanity is to implement the 2030 Agenda and reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , many stakeholders have to take action. It is widely agreed that national governments as well as businesses and civil society organizations (CSOs) are important actors in making the necessary transformative change happen. That creates a large, heterogeneous group with great potential for impact based on diverse resources, skills and experiences. Yet there is little attention, clarity or consensus on the roles of the different stakeholders or about how they can best work together. What can different stakeholders con...

Originally published in Inter Press Service News here.   Terry Waghorn of Katerva interviewed Felix Dodds and Chris Tomkins on the Blue Economy. ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, Nov 21 2018 (IPS)  - I recently connected with Felix Dodds and a colleague of his Chris Tomkins - a Blue Economy Consultant about the development around how the Blue Economy prior to the Kenya Government’s  international conference (26-28 November) on the subject . Felix is a global sustainable development leader who has worked on sustainable development for more than two decades observing and participating in international development meetings, including the negotiations on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, which the Blue Economy is part of and asked for his take on why and how the business and finance community should get behind them. Terry Waghorn:   We are now three years into implementing the Sustainable Development Goals one of which deals with the Oceans. For many people...

The Background As those who read this blog know I have been very critical of the way that Erik Solheim has led the United Nations Environment Programme from the moment I interviewed him after his selection. I don't intend to go over those arguments again but you can read them in these blogs by me and others: Interview with Erik Solheim the new Executive Director UNEP  (July 1st 2016) UNEP and the private sector: a complicated relationship?   (May 18, 2018) Guest Blog: UNEP and the Private Sector part 2 - an IPEN Letter to SAICM Secretariat Expressing Concern about the Joint Int'l. Council of Chemical Assoc. – UNEP Study (May 23rd) Time for the UN Global Compact to Evolve into the UN Due Diligence Mechanism? A Real Chance with the 2018 Partnership Resolution  (November 1st 2018) Statement by Erik  Solheim On Saturday, I received the final report on the audit of official travel undertaken by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services. As I ...

Why am i reproducing an old Stakeholder Forum Report Summary on partnerships? Well MSPs are being discussed in UN General Assembly Committee 2 at the moment with the Partnership Resolution and UNEA will deal with this next March 2019. So here is some interesting reflections and a link to the full report for those thinking of engaging with UNEP. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATION For implementation with partners to be relevant and have lasting impact, UNEP must prioritize and invest in internal knowledge management systems that allow for communication, lesson-learning and exchange of best practice among staff and between Divisions. This will enhance the coherence of working with partners across UNEP. WORKING WITH MAJOR GROUPS AND STAKEHOLDERS FOR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION OF UNEP’S WORK Major Groups and Stakeholders are well-placed to communicate UNEP’s valuable work to wider audiences – too often UNEP produces high-quality and useful work which lacks a concomitant comm...

G-STIC aims to catalyse a new sustainable development paradigm: working across sectors and industries, and thinking outside the (policy) box. G-STIC stands for a bold approach using integrated technological solutions to overhaul production and consumption processes and to open doors to new development and growth opportunities. G-STIC 2018 is therefore an event not to be missed. It is the place to actively participate in the definition and deployment of the technologies of the future. Above all, the G-STIC 2018 Industry Night on November 29 provides a unique opportunity to engage with the growing G-STIC community and enrich your business network. Read this newsletter to learn more about this exciting evening Get inspired by the SDGs To advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and realise maximum resource productivity, a transition to a new industry framework is vital; an industry framework that is based on a circular economy approach and that...