Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

  Dear Friends   The link to leave your reflections and stories is here.   We are remembering Michael Strauss, who recently passed away. Michael fought for social justice, democracy, and sustainable development. For those who knew him, he was a unique character in the UN world who will be missed but remembered for who he was, a non-conformist, a unique person with integrity, not afraid to take on people or causes who at first seemed bigger than him. His heart was with civil society, and few felt and understood the English language better than him; he was a sought-after editor and writer for the small NGOs that came to New York to participate in UN affairs. During the Commission for Sustainable Development (1993-2013), he was the go-to person for media outreach within the Major Groups community. Michael became the media spokesperson for the NGO community at the UN, organizing press conferences or events to help governments understand that they needed to fulfil ...

The following seven podcast episodes are adapted from the book  "Only One Earth" by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong (the father of sustainable development), and Michael Straus e In this episode, we trace the critical years between the 1997 UN Special Session (Rio+5) and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. These were years of both setbacks and breakthroughs — from faltering development aid and U.S. resistance to climate commitments, to the rise of multi-stakeholder dialogues that reshaped global sustainability conversations. We explore how NGOs, and other stakeholders, and reform-minded governments worked to reignite momentum, set the stage for new governance structures, and ensure sustainable development remained on the global agenda. Episode 5:  The Journey from Rio+5 to the World Summit on Sustainable Development - Rebuilding Momentum (1997-2001) "At a time of mounting threats to the sustainability of the planet, and as we prepare for the 20-y...

The following s even podcast episodes  are adapted from the book  "Only One Earth" by Felix Dodds, Maurice Strong (the father of sustainable development), and Michael Strauss .   The podcasts will cover the development of the first environment and then sustainable development internationally from the 1960s to the Rio+20 Summit in 2012. Episode 3: The Journey to the Rio Earth Summit and its Outcomes A global movement was forming before stakeholder voices were common in UN negotiations. In this episode, we explore how diverse actors—from trade unions to youth activists—fought for a seat at the table leading up to the 1992 Earth Summit. Discover how this new era of participation helped shape the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, the climate change and biodiversity conventions and the future of global sustainable development. "At a time of mounting threats to the sustainability of the planet, and as we prepare for the 20-year review of the original Rio Conference, it i...

By Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss first published on Inter Press Service here. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the planet and the governments of both wealthy and poorer nations overwhelmed by the demands of managing a response, the scheduling of this year’s critical UN Climate Summit is suddenly in doubt.  COP26 (formally, the 26 th annual Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) is planned for Glasgow, Scotland (UK) from 9-20 November. It will be the culmination of five years of negotiations since the historic 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. More than 100 presidents and prime ministers are expected to present their nations’ plans for carrying out the sweeping environmental, economic and energy changes necessary to keep the Earth’s warming to survivable levels.   In all, over 30,000 government delegates, intergovernmental officials and stakeholder representatives are preparing to attend. The agenda of COP26 is deep and ur...

By Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss Monday the 9th of April John Bolton will take up his post as National Security Advisor. As this carnival roller coaster ride that is the Trump Administration has veered further and further off the rails, those few ‘moderate’ Republican backers who haven’t completely abandoned him have felt more and more hard pressed to figure out strategies with which to defend his chaotic actions. Columnist Bret Stephens – whose own recent hiring by the New York Times was met with stunned acrimony by many loyal Times readers – pulled out a reliable right-wing trope to defend, or perhaps to distract from, Trump’s latest disaster in the making, the announcement that his third National Security Advisor would be John Bolton. He attacked the United Nations. [ “JohnBolton Is Right About the UN”; March 23, 2018 ]. In doing so, he presented a laundry list of accusations about the U.N.'s actions and responsibilities. Much of it – like most effective propaganda –...

How often have you tried to explain what it is you do at the UN only to find friends and families eyes gloss over? Do they really understand how important bracketing text is or a comma here or a full stop there? Or perhaps you have friends who want to follow you into intergovernmental negotiations and experience the wonders of the Vienna Cafe!! Well, now they can!! Great presents for anyone interested in sustainable development. Without understanding the history its difficult to understand the present or plan for the future. The Vienna Cafe trilogy is their opportunity to relive some of your wonderful moments. Not to be confused with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is in five parts, the Vienna Cafe trilogy isn't in another galaxy just a cafe in the basement of the UN or other intergovernmental venues. The latest volume of the trilogy is N egotiating the Sustainable Development Goals: A transformational agenda for an insecure world by Felix Dodds, Amb...

((Rogue CNN exists in a parallel universe to ours where a property developer and reality TV star gets elected President)) Wolf: We are going over to the White House for an announcement from Michael Strauss, Press Secretary to the President. Strauss: As all of you know we are in the middle of the Mueller Inquiry and although the President has been saying that he has no plans to sack the Special Prosecutor, I am here today to say there is serious doubt about that. There has been planning going on for this with the inner circle, including Republicans on the investigating committees. The actions being contemplated are not Constitutional, and they will pose an extraordinary threat to the very nature of this democratic Republic. Since I, for one, care about this country and will not take part in such activity, I am effective as of now resigning. A full text of my statement will appear below CNN: Mike, have you been in contact with the Robert Mueller's office? Strauss – I can't...

((Rogue CNN exists in a parallel universe to ours where a property developer and reality TV star gets elected President)) Wolf:   In recognition of the political world that spins ever more deeply into an alternative reality, Welcome to a special alt reality edition of Rogue CNN. I am reminded of the British band the Vapors and their single Turning Japanese . Are we seeing President Trump turning Democrat? We have a great panel here today to explore this. Anderson, David Gergen, Mary Katharine Ham .  And I’d like to welcome the most alt reality guest of all, an icon in his own time (though that time actually ended 2 decades ago), the all-time gonzo journalist, the man who in many ways originated the merging of the political with the personal, the insight with the insult, the profound with the profane - former Rolling Stones Political Commentator and now a CNN Contributor, Dr. Hunter Thompson. The panel are here to discuss - Is Trump turning Democrat? ...