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Belem City Limits: How to Host a Successful Climate COP

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Belem City Limits: How to Host a Successful Climate COP By Felix Dodds and Chris Spence originally published through InterPress Service here. There is no question that most climate activists and governments were delighted when Brazil offered to host the 2025 UN Climate Conference taking place this November. Brazil has played such a crucial role in shaping the sustainable development agenda. It hosted the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, which agreed on Agenda 21 and the blueprint for sustainability in the 21st century, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 27 principles intended to guide countries in future sustainable development but also saw signged agreements for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Forestry Principles. Out of the Rio Earth Summit, you saw the creation of a new UN body to monitor the implementation of these agreements. This was the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and a new convention, the Deserti...
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UN Mandate Madness? Why Joint Programmes Are the Only Sane Way Forward

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Guest blog by Stephanie Hodge: UN Partnerships Specialist is a globally recognized leader in strategic evaluation, systems transformation, and cross-sectoral program design, with over 30 years of experience in 140+ countries. She is a go-to evaluator for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and a trusted advisor to the UN system, World Bank, ADB, AfDB, and Ro me-based institutions, known for evaluating what truly matters: systems, coherence, and catalytic impact. originally published here. In the UN system, overlapping mandates aren’t a mistake—they’re baked in. When UNICEF, UNFPA, and UN Women all show up with a stake in adolescent girls’ futures, the overlap isn’t the issue. The real challenge is what we do with it. Too often, the result is duplication, confusion, or competition dressed up as coordination. But as someone who’s evaluated more joint programmes than I can count—from gender equality to climate resilience to education and governance—I’ve come to one conclusion: joint p...
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Sustainable Development Goals carried by donkeys? - Reflections on the 2025 UN High Level Political Forum

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  The Donkey Sanctuary delegation at the UN High Level Political Forum July 2025 Ian Cawsey Director Of Advocacy & Campaigns at The Donkey Sanctuary July 30, 2025 Without donkeys, there is no prospect of a safe, sustainable future for many parts of the world and consequently, this threatens all of humankind and indeed, the future of our planet. Reading that back that sounds dramatic or even just ridiculous. It’s not, it’s true. If we consider some of the biggest issues the world faces, whether that is poverty, food insecurity, gender inequality, access to clean water or climate and disaster resilience, in so many parts of the world donkeys are key to delivering better outcomes. Our work at The Donkey Sanctuary is to ensure that policymakers understand this connection and then ensure that donkeys’ unique contribution gets the recognition and protection that it needs and deserves. Donkeys and gender equality: a surprising truth This month, I led a small delegation from our Public...
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How Clustering Multilateral Environmental Agreements Can Bring Multiple Benefits to the Environment

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Guest blog by Michael Stanley-Jones is an Environmental Policy and Governance Fellow at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. First published on IPS here. RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada, Jul 28 2025 (IPS)  - The UN80 Initiative, unveiled in March by Secretary-General António Guterres, is a system-wide effort to reaffirm the UN’s relevance for a rapidly changing world. The Initiative comes at a time of brutal budget cuts across the UN system. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is cutting 3,500 jobs and making reductions in senior positions and offices to manage budget shortfalls. The World Health Organisation is expected to cut 20-25% of its global staff. Cuts at The World Food Programme range up to 30%. And yet the needs served by the United Nations remain stark. The UN appealed for US$29 billion funding for the Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 to assist nearly 180 million vulnerable people, ...
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The Best Community-Friendly Coffee Places in Midtown Manhattan Near the United Nations: A Neighborhood Guide

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Savoring Community, One Cup at a Time For those who know me well, they know that my work around the UN, where the meetings are, usually revolves around where the coffee is. One of my books was even called How to Lobby at Intergovernmental Meetings – Mine is a café Latte! So, I thought, why not help my fellow lobbyists going to the UN in New York for the first or second time with some suggestions for the best coffee places to hang out in and arrange meetings with member states at? Midtown Manhattan, as you will experience, is a whirlwind of energy, global diversity, and iconic skyline. It is home to the United Nations Headquarters—a beacon for international cooperation and dialogue in a time of global political crisis. The UN has its own amazing coffee places to lobby and enjoy coffee. These are:  Vienna Cafe: It is probably most famous for hosting meetings with member state representatives, as it is situated in the General Assembly building (1st Basement South).  It is locate...
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